How Lucky I Am
by Shewolfbeme
Summary: Pairing: Izaya/Mikado Kida/Mikado Slight!Kida/Saki Slight!Kida/Izaya Summary Inside** I do not own the cover Image
1. In Your Dreams

**How Lucky I Am**

**Anime/Manga/Novel: Durarara**

**Pairing: (Main) Mikado X Izaya (Side) Mikado X Kida/ Kida X Izaya/ Kida X Saki**

**Genre: Angst/Romance**

**Rating: T**

**Summary: _AU_ Kida and Mikado have been going through a long distance relationship, when Kida asks him to come to Ikebukuro so they can finally date in person. Upon getting there, their relationship takes a turn for the worst when Kida's womanizing leaves Mikado feeling neglected and bored. Being bored of his relationship, he looks for someone more interesting and better for him. So, who better to run into than Kida's Ex-boyfriend?**

**Disclaimer: Has spoilers for the anime and novels. I do not own Durarara.**

* * *

Mikado let out a sigh as he backed up into the pillar behind him. Looking up, he felt overwhelmed by the hundreds of people walking by and bumping into him. He almost felt a bunny in a wolf pack, as if he was about to be gorged on by the vicious giants among him.

With a small whimper to himself, he whispered, "I wanna go home…." letting his shoulders slump lazily. He never did leave his hometown before, not even for school field trips. Being 15 and never leaving home, it was a big step outside of his comfort zone to come to Ikebukuro.

In April he will start his school year at Raira Academy, a great school in the heart of Tokyo. But that's not even half the reason he came to Ikebukuro. He smiled to himself at the thought. No, that wasn't the reason.

His reason being was to get closer to his boyfriend, Masaomi Kida. Before, they were doing a long distance relationship over the computer. Kida talked about how cool and interesting the city was, and how great the school is. Mikado researched the school, and was quite surprised on how his boyfriend got in. He never was the brightest. But then Kida asked him to come to Tokyo, and after some thought and some time to convince his parents, he was on a train to Tokyo.

"Mi~Kado?" A familiar voice rang from his side. The teen jumped and turned to his side, to see a blonde haired boy about his age, giving him a smug grin. Blinking a few times, Mikado questioned the others appearance and identity, when he suddenly put the pieces together.

"M-masaomi?" He asked the other, not really sure if this was really his boyfriend. As a response, the blonde held three fingers up in the air.

"Was that a question? Sounded like one. So now I'll give you three answers to choose from. One: Masaomi Kida. Two: Masaomi Kida. Three: Masaomi Kida!" He exclaimed cheerfully, counting off the numbers with his fingers. Mikado's expression turned to complete joy and he found himself shifting from side to side.

"Wow, Masaomi! It's really you? No way!" Said the boy excitedly, though the other simply let his arm flop to the side and sighed.

"I spent three years comin' up with that one and he totally ignores it." Kida says sadly, before instantly tackling the other in a hug. Mikado felt his face heat up and he lightly shoved the other away.

"I can't believe you dyed your hair, you look so different." The brunette laughed slightly, holding the other at arm's length. He then smirked and said, "Though, your jokes still suck."

"Hehe… well what do you expect? It's been four years, and I don't see anything new on you lil' buddy. And my jokes rule, man." Thinking for a minute, he finally added, "Well, there is something new about you…" Mikado raised a brow, giving his friend a confused glance. Kida leaned in quickly and pecked the boy's lips with his own, and said, "Your face has gotten WAY cuter."

"M-MASAOMI?!" Mikado exclaimed with a blush, touching his lips. Kida chuckled, grabbing Mikado's arm and pulling him onward.

"Ah, yes. I feel like showing you the western part of the great city, but we won't be taking the left exit my friend. We will be taking…" Mikado long droned out the boy's rant and let himself be pulled away from the crowded station. He only chimed back into the conversation when Kida suddenly turned to him.

"So, do have any place you want to check out?" Kida asked after making his long speech. Mikado pondered for a moment.

"Well, how about Sunshine 60?" He suggested while catching up to his side, but he wanted to fall behind again when he saw the look the other gave him.

"Oh, really? That's someplace you'd take your _girlfriend_." He wrapped his arm around the others shoulder and pulled him in slyly. "What are you trying to say, Mikado~?" With this, the other blushed and shoved the other off him.

"R-really, Masaomi?" He stuttered. Kida retaliated with swinging his arm around Mikado's waist and kissing his cheek. He chuckled at how red his face was getting. "H-HEY! W-w-what are you-?"

"Seriously, Mikado. You need to relax. I haven't seen you in years. I haven't seen my BOYFRIEND in years. Do you know how long I've been waiting to see you?" He then placed his hand on his heart and the other over his head. "Oh, woe is me. My dear, dear Mikado has lost interest in me. He won't even accept my kisses."

"N-no, that's not-"

"That's not it? Well, to prove it, you have to kiss me right here." Masaomi pointed towards his lips and puckered, waiting for the kiss to come. The other gulped and looked at all the stares they were getting, then decided to just end it as it is. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against Kida's.

Without warning, a pair of arms pulled Mikado closer and the kiss was deepened. It wasn't a French kiss, much to Kida's dismay, but they stood there kissing for what seemed like eternity before Mikado pushed him off. Both of their faces were flushed, both panting for air. Kida kept trying to say something, but the words couldn't leave his mouth. Finally, after catching his breath, he said,

"And that's…. how you greet your boyfriend, Mikado."

Throughout most of the night, Kida showed Mikado around and to a few of his friends, most of the time flirting with him, or draping off of him. Despite how much he tried to stop it, Mikado truly loved the attention he was getting. All of the kisses and touches he was getting made him happy inside, and made him start to like the new city a little more.

Call him selfish, but he was actually planning to break up with Kida over the internet. He felt like he wasn't getting his fair share of the commitment and almost thought that he was being cheated on. There wasn't a single day that Mikado didn't explain what he did, or what happened with his family, or something of the sort. However, while Kida did the same, he was often leaving out bits and pieces. It was like he was hiding something from him. Mikado just shrugged that thought off, but then Kida asked him to move to Tokyo.

At the end of the tour, the two sat on a local bench and simply chatted. It was dark outside, and there weren't that many people out in the open. In fact, the only things that made noise were passing cars, crickets, and occasionally a passing duo. It was then Kida decided to warn Mikado about the dangers of the city.

"So, there are a few things I want you to stay away from…" He started, catching Mikado's attention. "First, stay away from the urban legends that are hanging around in this town. You might hear some things about a 'Black rider', but just stay away from those things or anything that seems sketchy." Mikado thought for a moment. _Urban Legends? The Black Rider? He's joking right? And what does he mean by 'sketchy'?_

"Also, try to keep away from a man name Shizuo Heiwajima. He won't bother you as long as you keep your nose clean around here."

"A-ah… right." The darker haired boy answered.

"You should also stay away from color gangs, especially the Dollars. They are probably a ton of bad news, so I'd just stay away from that crap, got it? ... Also…" Kida's face darkened and gave Mikado a serious look. "Stay away from Izaya Orihara."

"Izaya Orihara?" He asked, pondering the name and what the said person could look like. _That's a weird name…._

"Yeah, he's dangerous. Keep away from him at all costs. Seriously Mikado, if you haven't been listening before, listen to me now; don't associate yourself with him. If he tries to come near you, just tell me and I'll handle it."

_I haven't seen Kida this worried before. _What_ could have happened to make him feel so much resentment towards this guy? _Mikado thought to himself.

"I got it, Kida." The serious face the blonde had changed back into a cheery one. The rest of the time they spent there was put into talking about pointless things they did while the other was elsewhere. He let Kida talk all he wanted, but he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. While kida's back was turned, he snuck a peak at his phone and raised a brow. It was Kanra, a friend of his on a chat he made.

_A chat on the dollars website._

He gulped nervously, shoving the phone back in his pocket before Kida could turn around. Masaomi looked back at his sweating boyfriend, then snatched his hand and pulled him off the bench.

"W-wait a minute, Masaomi!" Mikado stuttered.

"Come on, I gotta drop you off home, don't I?" Kida said smiling. Mikado chuckled nervously, ignoring the vibration going on in his pocket. They went to cross an intersection, when a young girl with a scar on her neck came dashing down the street and slammed right into Mikado. The two of them both groaned in pain, but Mikado was the first one to come up.

"Ugh…." He coughed slightly, rubbing the arm he had fallen on. The first thing he noticed when he woke up, was that Kida hadn't given him a second glance, but instead ran to the girl's aid. This made Mikado a little jealous, but he brushed it off as nothing.

"Oh man, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to run into you like that!" He exclaimed worriedly, while Kida held her close. As soon as the girl opened her eyes, she let out a terrified shriek and jumped to her feet, running in a different direction.

"Well, that chick's crazy." Kida muttered after a while. Mikado couldn't help but see a hint of sadness in his friend's eyes. It made him so angry.

_It almost hurts how selfish I am…. But he's STILL flirting with girls….. I guess I should let it slide this time, seeing as we just got together…._

* * *

_**Tarou Tanaka: Hey guys.**_

_**Tarou Tanaka: You know, I saw the black rider today.**_

_**Setton: Really? Was it around 7 o'clock?**_

_**Tarou Tanaka: Yeah. Were you there Setton?**_

_**Setton: Yeah, sort of.**_

_**Tarou Tanaka: Really? We might have passed each other without knowing it!**_

_**Setton: maybe.**_

_**Tarou Tanaka: But it was really ominous.**_

_**Tarou Tanaka: It almost gave me shivers up my spine.**_

_**Kanra: Oh~ little Tarou-kun is a scaredy-cat!**_

_**Tarou Tanaka: Am not!**_

_**Kanra: Are too!**_

_**Kanra: And in the midst of all your worries**_

_**Kanra: You were snuggling up with your boyfriend!**_

_**Kanra: Kya!**_

_**Tarou Tanaka: That's not true!**_

_**Setton: W-wait! B-boyfriend?**_

_**Kanra: Yeah! **_

_**Kanra: Don't you know that Tarou has a knight in shining armour?**_

_**Tarou Tanaka: I don't know what you're talking about!**_

_**Tarou Tanaka: Really! You've never even seen me before!**_

_**Kanra: When you've been friends with someone for a while, you start knowing more things about them that they didn't even know you knew.**_

_**Tarou Tanaka: Well, I didn't think we were that great of friends.**_

_**Kanra: Aww, that breaks my heart Tarou~**_

_**Kanra: Of course we're that great of friends.**_

_**Kanra: At least that's what it may seem on the surface.**_

_**Kanra: KYA!**_

_**Tarou Tanaka: In your dreams.**_

_**-Kanra has PM'd Tarou Tanaka-**_

_**Kanra: Every night~**_

_**Tarou Tanaka: / S-shut it!**_

_**Kanra: Kyaaa~**_

_**-Out of PM box-**_

_**Setton: Y-you two are just weird.**_

_**Kanra: Aw, come on, lighten up Setton.**_

_**Kanra: You're just jealous because you don't understand just how great I am!**_

_**Kanra: Tarou! Tell Setton how great I am!**_

_**Tarou Tanaka: Uhhhh…..**_

_**Setton: My point exactly.**_

_**Kanra: He hasn't answered yet!**_

_**Tarou Tanaka: How do I get myself in these situations?**_

_**Tarou Tanaka: Oh.**_

_**Tarou Tanaka: I gotta leave.**_

_**Kanra: Hmmm? ~ **_

_**Setton: What's this? You pull an all-nighter?**_

_**Tarou Tanaka: No, I just really have to go! Bye!**_

_**-Tarou Tanaka left the chatroom-**_

_**Setton: Well that was quick.**_

_**Kanra: I wonder what's gotten him so riled up.**_

_**Kanra: But anyway, about how great I am.**_

_**Setton: Ugh…**_

* * *

Mikado quickly snapped his phone shut as Kida and he neared his apartment. He really didn't want to explain his attachment to the Dollars to Kida. Especially after being warned of them. Honestly, he thought it was none of his boyfriend's business about his life with the Dollars. So he decided to keep his mouth shut about it, and to everyone else.

"Well, we're here!" He exclaimed happily, bringing Mikado closer to the door. "You are so lucky, you know?"

"How do you figure?" He replied bluntly, rubbing his eyes.

"Well, one day in the beautiful land of Tokyo and you already witnessed a psycho girl, the otaku gang, Simon, and the Black bike!" He grinned, lightly punching his partner's shoulder. "AND to top it all off, you got to do it all with me, your loving, caring, good-looking boyfriend. You must be thinking, 'Wow, I'm the luckiest guy in the world right now!' aren't you?"

Mikado blushed a little and replied, "In your dreams."

Kida grinned before shoving the other into his house, but not before saying, "Every night!" and then shutting the door smoothly. Mikado sighed as he could only be reminded of Kanra, but he knew that Kida wasn't her. Which led him to a question that had been lurking in his head throughout the walk home. _How did Kanra know I had a boyfriend?_


	2. Rikoteki and a new face

How lucky I Am

Starting school for Mikado was different than he expected. Raira Academy was different from his old school. He would be lying if he said it wasn't a little challenging, but the school was perfect for him. He even scored 1st on the entrance exam, along with another girl along the name of Anri Sonohara.

Speaking of which, she along with Mikado were both going to be class representatives. Starting off his first year of school as a class representative? Not what he had in mind.

Anri was a quiet, pretty girl with pale skin, large eyes, short black hair, and had large glasses perched on her face. Looking over, he could already see Kida drooling over her. Not that Mikado blamed him, she had a pretty curvy body. She made all the guys in the room blush… well, except for him of course.

She seemed nice. But when Mikado came to speak with her, she ran off without saying a word.

"Now that's what I call bold." Kida's voiced chimed from behind him. "Making plans to go on a rendezvous with the class hottie? That's playing dirty!" Mikado sighed, rubbing his head.

"I wasn't trying to-"

"Don't care. It's the end of school. Time to date!" With that, Kida snatched Mikado's arm and pulled him to the school entance.

* * *

_Some date. _Mikado thought, watching as Kida flirted with two older woman.

"You must want me!" He exclaimed, striking a boisterous pose at the ladies. He gave a wink at them, before continuing. "I mean, how couldn't you? With all these charming good looks and awesome moves, you can't resist me!" With that, the two ladies stood up and sped off away from him. The whole scene made Mikado want to laugh, but he held it in. He knew Kida couldn't help himself when it came to flirting, but he didn't like it when it was done _right in front of him. _

_Geez, when will he learn? They're not going to go out with a high schooler. He should know that. And why is he paying so much attention to all these girls?! I'M his boyfriend, after all!_

Mikado shook of the selfish thought, looking at the large statue that was put up by the school… but something was off about it. Like it was trying to tell him something. Something important.

It was then Mikado heard a voice. But as soon as the voice died away, it was like a foggy memory. For he could not remember what the voice said, or what it sounded like. Mikado sweated and looked back at the bird statue.

It just stood there. Watching.

* * *

"Piss of kid."

"Yeah, I already got a boyfriend."

"Go die in a fire."

"Aw, come one ladies." Kida cooed, ignoring the insults. "Having a drink with a guy isn't considered cheating, am I right?"

_Like hell you are._

"Come on girls, I'll take you someplace nice."

_I wish you'd take ME someplace nice._

Once again, Mikado had to shake these thoughts from his mind. There was another part of him he hated. Another selfish part of him who needed attention. Craved for it. But that was a part of him he locked away forever. He was never going to let anyone see that side of him again. That _part of him _was who he called Rikoteki. Rikoteki is who he considers to be his darker side. He's greedy and wants everything that happens to benefit him in some way. But that's not who he wanted to be. He was Mikado Ryugamine, a regular school kid.

_But I'm not just a regular school kid, am I? _He wasn't going to lie, Rikoteki was more honest than Mikado could ever be. It was true. He was no ordinary kid. He was the leader of the Dollars, the transparent gang that can be dangerous, or can be helpful. _Exactly. So don't go calling yourself 'regular' if you're not. Just accept it. And get your boyfriend back!_

* * *

_**Tarou Tanaka: Hey, have you seen any of the dollars?**_

_**Kanra: Yeah,**_

_**Kanra: I've seen them around.**_

_**Tarou Tanaka: Well? What are they like?**_

_**Kanra: They're totally cool!**_

_**Kanra: I heard they just scored a deal with the Chinese mafia!**_

_**Kanra: And remember when the Yokuza got stabbed?**_

_**Kanra: I heard it was their junior guys who did that!**_

* * *

"Ah, I can't believe those hot chicks bailed on me." Kida sighed, arms behind his head. Mikado looked down, biting his lip.

_I can't believe you're still flirting with woman. Are you gay or not?_

"You know, I bet it was your gloomy face that scared them off."

_I bet I did. A good thing too, or else I would have punched there pretty little faces in!_

_No, that's not a good thing to think, Rikoteki!_

_Well it's not my fault I want to be treated like I'm actually being committed to! Do you like this, Mikado?_

_N-no… but Kida's just fooling around. He wouldn't go as far as flirting._

_He better not, or else I'll stab him with a pen!_

_A… pen?_

"Hey! It's that guy with the cool manga name! What's his name…? Mikado! That's it!" One of Kida's friends said, snapping Mikado from his thoughts.

"Want to hit a book store?" The girl said, Erika was it? He didn't get to talk to them for very long. Soon enough the otaku gang left the two after arguing over some book signing.

* * *

**Setton: The Dollars? Yeah I've heard of them.**

**Tarou Tanaka: A friend of mine was talking about them a while back.**

**Setton: But I've never actually seen them. Do they even exist?**

**Tarou Tanaka: Think it's some sort of prank?**

**Setton: I don't know, but I think it's best you steer clear of groups like that.**

Mikado backed away from his keyboard, sighing sadly.

_Well, it's good that our cover isn't blown. If they find out that we're the leader of the Dollars, well, I don't know if I'd be able to show my face back in school. Good thing you're in charge, Mikado._

_Whatever. It's not like it's that big of a deal anyway._

_Not that big of a deal? You know full and well that this is going to lead into something big, Mikado._

_Shut it Rikoteki!_

* * *

_What I came here for was change. For a new, more exciting life I had back home. Back home, there was a large open sky full of endless space for possibilities and exciting new changes. But were there any? No. The sky was empty. It was still. It was…. Boring._

"I know what you're thinking…" Kida said suddenly, as they walked away from the rambling otakus. Mikado lifted his head, listening. "Ride the train and you're treated like a perv. Walk a block and muggers scam you. Stay home too much and the neighbors prank! And with the Dollars and the Black Rider…. TOKYO IS A CONCRETE JUNGLE!" He exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. Mikado was taken aback by the outburst, but jumped when Kida randomly shoved a finger in his face. He smiled and said, "With that said, you must overcome this! After all, you want to be a real Ikebukurean, right? And not to mention, I have your back." Mikado gave a sweet smile to him, earning a small peck on the cheek from the other.

"Oh, yeah. And when I'm with the ladies, just smile. Got it?" He added, stepping away from him and walking. Mikado chuckled, but still felt his heart being tugged at the comment.

_He admits it! He freaking admits it!_

_Calm down Rikoteki!_

Mikado breathed out his frustrations and forced a smile, "Um, I don't know how much luck you'll have hitting on woman over 20."

"So? I don't care about the digits, I just want to talk to them. Anything else is just icing on the cake."

_U-um see? He doesn't care about them._

_Whatever… but I got my eye on hi- hey is that Anri?_

Mikado glanced over to a nearby alleyway, spotting the busty girl being picked on by a few bullies. They were high-strung, pampered, and snotty and judging by the comments they were giving to Anri, they weren't her friends. Kida and him snuck over behind the building and watched closely.

"Woah, that chick is totally getting bullied."

"Yeah, but those girls are so cliché, they're more funny than scary." Mikado added, wrinkling his nose in disgust. He hated bullies.

"You know, my boyfriend is with the Dollars." One of the girls bragged. Out of no-where, a hoodie-wearing man came up to the girl. Throwing off his hood, he started going off on how he would summon 'his' Dollar's crew and how cool they were. This made Mikado a little mad.

_HIS DOLLARS?!_

_He must be joking right? _

_You have to go over to him and teach him a lesson! Now!_

Mikado thought on it for a moment. How would he do that? If he simply strolled up there, asking for them to stop, he would get beaten to a pulp. On the other hand, if he just stood there and did nothing Anri might end up getting hurt.  
Suddenly a light-bulb went off in his head.

_Just stroll up to Anri, and play it off as if you were meeting her here for something. Then, just lead her away from the crowd, and you're home free!_

_That… just might work._

Suddenly determined, Mikado rose up from his position as he was ready to go through with his plan. That is until he heard an older man's voice come from behind him.

"Bullies, huh?" Turning around, Mikado saw a dark haired man standing before him with his hands in his pockets. He didn't have to look at Kida to feel an uncomfortable vibe coming from him.

"You want to save the day don't you?" He stepped closer to Mikado, as if looking him up and down, before flashing him a mischievous smirk. The smirk send chills up his spine… but it felt good in a way. He felt his face heat up.

"U-um… well, I, um…" Mikado let out, completely confused on how to respond. Suddenly this man stalked closer towards him, and he saw out of the corner of his eye Kida tensing up. Without warning, he was grabbed by the stranger and pushed towards the group of bullies. "Wait, wait, what are you…?"

The man kept that same creepy grin on his face, not even giving Mikado a second glance. He only stared forward towards the small group ahead of them.

"No-no, wait hold on –!" Was all he could say before being pushed harshly into the huddle of people in front of him. He slowly caught himself so he wouldn't fall, but awkwardly glancing up towards the three girls.

"What do you want, dork?" One of them spat, crossing her arms. Mikado whimpered slightly, not finding the words to say to the girl.

_Come on, you can still go through with this! Just act like you need Anri for something, then push her away._

Mikado gulped, but summoned up the courage to finally speak back. "W-well… you see I-."

"Bullying people is lame." Came the man's voice. He strutted toward the group with that same smirk on his face. "It's pathetic really."

"What are you, like, 40? Butt out!" One of the bullies growled at him. He only snickered in response.

"Listen, it's not my fault if you lovely ladies drop dead right now. I mean, I could knock your teeth down your throat, or you can bag on my age when I'm really 23. I don't really care." _Was he playing with them? _Was the thought that ran through his mind. He could see Kida motioning him to get away, but he couldn't. It was like he had finally tasted what he came for when he entered this city.

"I mean, you girls are in a class that's so beneath me it doesn't even matter. For human beings are weak things." The girls sweated at the comment, but their leader spat in his face coldly. Wiping his face calmly, the black-haired man looked back at the girl. "But you know, beating up chicks isn't really my shtick." Then, silence. The only thing that was heard was the small flop of the Bully's purse hitting the ground. The strap was cut clean off, leaving the girls confused on how it was cut.

But the man wasn't finished teasing, Mikado soon figured out. He watched as he slowly came over and picked up the girls cellphone, shaking it lightly in her face. The girl hissed and began snatching for her phone, but to no avail.

"But do you know what the next best thing I could do is?" He replied smoothly, dropping the phone to the ground. "That would be, to smash this precious cellphone of yours." With that said, he stomped his foot hard on top of the cellphone. Mikado felt his heart jump.

He stomped his foot repeatedly on the phone, giggling like a little girl. Those giggles turned into chuckles. And those chuckles eventually led into a crazy, maniacal laughter, and the phone broke and shattered under his feet. With each stomp the man did, the more hooked Mikado was getting. He wasn't this interested in a person since he had heard of the Black Rider. The whole scene in front of him made his cheeks turn red, and he didn't know why.

_Why is my face getting so hot?!_

_Hey, this is your problem, not mine._

_Were the same guy Rikoteki!_

Suddenly his foot came to an abrupt halt, and the man stood silent over the broken pieces of the phone for what seemed like a full minute, before looking up and smirking.

"Well now I'm bored. I guess that's enough cell phone smashing, don't you think~"

The main leader of the bully's was borderline tears, trembling along with her friends, before shouting out, "H-H-Hiroshi!"

The man that watched from behind the ladies jumped his feet and got up in older man's face.

"YO! YO! YO! You're going down, FOOL!" He exclaimed, striking a pose at him. Mikado couldn't help but let out half a giggle. The way the guy managed to be less intimidating than what he was trying to be made it funny for him. But, he shut off the laugh as soon as it escaped his mouth, hoping no one heard it. In response, he caught the red-ish eyes of the black-haired man, who simply smirked at him. He adjusted his jacket to where Mikado could see into the pocket, and what was shown was a flick knife.

"Ooh~ Violence! How scary!" He sang, looking back towards the thug in front of him.

"Why… you MOTHER-!" The thug swung at him, but he dodged it smoothly, laughing out loud.

"Woah, you're too tough for me~" He giggled, watching as the man in front of him fell before him. Once again, silence. As the man lifted his head from the ground, a cool wind blew by, and his entire head was shaved cleaned. It took him a minute to process it, but he stood up slowly, facing his 'girlfriend'. Said girl shrieked in terror in unison with her friends, taking off in a different direction. The thug chased after the girl, screaming in anger and confusion as to why his head was shaved.

Anri, Mikado and Kida stared at the scene in shock, the only thing making a noise was the whistle of the wind. A sudden sadistic laughter broke the silence, and Mikado glanced toward the stranger curiously. He looked over and smirked, shoving his hands back into his pockets.  
"He didn't even know it was coming."

"Man that was truly impressive." He told Mikado as soon as they were in the clearing. "Trying to save the girl from the bullies?" For Mikado, it was hard to tell if he was joking or not. The way he bended his voice around his words was unsettling to say the least. The boy tried to avoid the man's gaze, but red eyes were staring him down. He felt a little intimidated.

"So Kida, it's been a while." He said, turning away from Mikado. At first glance, Kida looked like he had a level head. But Mikado could sense how tense his boyfriend was really getting.

"Oh. I didn't expect to see you, Izaya…" _Izaya? That's Izaya Orihara? The one I'm supposed to stay away from? _"I mean, you're not normally in Ikebukuro…"

"_This _is Izaya Orihara?" Mikado felt like Rikoteki took over for a split second because he didn't remember speaking out like that. He just suddenly noticed Izaya's eyes were locked him. He stared him down for a few seconds before smiling.

"H-hey! Mikado!" Kida whispered desperately, grabbing his hand roughly. Mikado turned to his partner, and he looked like he was about to explode. Kida whipped his head back to Izaya and faked a smile. "I-I'm sorry, Izaya, this guy here is just a friend." Kida knew it was too late to try and drag the attention back to him, as Izaya already made his way to introduce himself.

"Well, my name is Izaya Orihara. You are?" He asked, placing a hand lightly over his chest. It took a second for Mikado to respond, so he decided to bow out of panic.

"A-ah… I am Mikado Ryugamine." Mikado chirped, keeping his head down. He heard the other one chuckle and he glanced up at the man before him.

"That…..that sounds like the name of an A/C."

_A-an air conditioner?! I think he means Kirigamine._

_A freaking air conditioner. Some people say emperor, some people mention dragons, but this guy said I'm an air conditioner._

"A-ah… that's 'Kiri'…" Mikado mumbled. Kida stepped in front of him.

"So what brings you out here?" He asked, getting right to the point. Izaya smiled.

"Well, I came to meet someone." He turned to Mikado. "And now I have."

That was what he told them before he was slammed into the road with an air-born trashcan.


	3. A sudden change

How lucky I Am

"Holy shit…" Kida said hazily, slowly turning towards the source of the flying object. Mikado's eyes followed, seeing a blonde bartender with a maniacal grin on his face. Mikado blinked and looked back at the wounded Izaya.

"O-Orihara-san!" He exclaimed worriedly. _That must have hurt! I wonder if he's okay… _He thought, slowly making his way over to the lying figure, only to be yanked back by the arm. He looked back and saw Kida, clutching his arm firmly.

"Trust me man, you do NOT want to get in the middle of this!" He said, pulling him back towards the sidewalk.

"B-but… he looks hurt!" Mikado retaliated, feeling guilty almost. Kida chuckled and patted his head.

"You always were the worried type." He said, more to himself than Mikado. "Don't you worry my lovely pet, I think you will see that he is just fine." Mikado blushed and scowled at the nickname, glaring at Kida. Finally, he turned back towards the bartender, who was approaching Izaya slowly.

"I~ZA~YA~KUN~" He sang in an annoyed tone. Izaya slowly came up, clutching his hurt arm. Glancing at his opponent, a smirk came to his face.

"S-shizu-chan…" He chuckled under his breath.

_Shizu-chan? This 'Shizu-chan' was the one that threw the trashcan? B-but how? He has to be pretty strong…_

"I would have sworn I told you to stay out of Ikebukuro, Izaya." This 'Shizu-chan' growled. "Surely even you remembered that, right?"

"Ah heh, Shizu-chan…. Last I heard you were working by the west gate?"

"Hah! Got fired ages ago… and by the way, I told you to stop calling me that. My name is Shizuo Heiwajima, get it right next time!" _S-Shizuo?! Wasn't that the other guy I was told to stay away from?! _Mikado felt himself become overwhelmed by… excitement. He needed to see what was going to happen next. Mikado felt his hand being squeezed, and he saw it was Kida. It was as if Kida was trying to reassure him that everything will be okay. But Mikado didn't really care if what happened next was good or bad. All he cared about was the outcome.

Izaya brushed some dirt of his jacket, then laughed. "You know Shizu-chan, one of the main things that I hate about you is that you can't be swayed by reason… I really hate that about you." He flicked his knife he showed Mikado earlier at Shizuo. The smirk he had turned completely sadistic and psychotic. "Now, won't you let me go~?"

Mikado heard muffled whimpers and looked behind him to see Anri shaking madly. Following her line of sight, her eyes stayed locked on the knife Izaya was holding.

_What the hell's her deal?_

_I don't blame her, Orihara-san is being really scary right now…_

_Even so, it's not even HIM she's trembling over._

_What do you mean?_

_Give her a closer look. She's shaking because of the knife._

…_.You're right._

_Aren't I always?_

What happened next was all too fast for Mikado to handle. One minute Shizuo and Izaya were about to go at it, then a swarm up thugs came from all over the city and started fighting Shizuo. Well, let's rephrase that; THEY were getting beat up by SHIZUO. Somewhere in the middle of that, Izaya had ran off and Simon came out of nowhere and began fighting Shizuo. Mikado's excitement shook his entire body, and it wasn't too hard to see. The thing is, it was mistaken for fear.

"Alright Mikado, time to split!" Kida yelled over the fighting, squeezing Mikado's hand even tighter. However, Mikado yanked his hand from Kida's, then grabbed Anri's and ran. Ran far from the brawl. He heard Kida calling him, but he could care less at the moment. His instincts were telling him to run… So he did.

As to why he grabbed Anri, well he doesn't know that either. He was just running on pure instinct. Shortly after excaping the madness, Anri ditched Mikado before he could say anything to her. He then walked home, slumped on his bed and lazily turned on his computer. He entered the Dollars website and typed in the password, "BACCANO", and entered in as Tarou Tanaka.

* * *

**Kanra: Now there's a war between the Dollars and Shizuo.**

**Kanra: Or so I heard~**

**Tarou Tanaka: You've guys got it all wrong.**

**Tarou Tanaka: I was there, I saw it all. Those guys weren't part of the Dollars.**

**Kanra: No, no, no, not that.**

**Kanra: I heard that a group of guys calling themselves the Dollars mugged of few people for their cash.**

**Tarou Tanaka: What?**

**Kanra: Does that sound scary~ It really scares me~ I would stay clear of the dollars~**

**Tarou Tanaka: Ok…**

**Kanra: The Dollars kinda freak me out.**

**Tarou Tanaka: Uhhuh**

**Kanra: I'm, like, shaking right now.**

**Tarou Tanaka: Ikr?**

**Kanra:….**

**Tarou Tanaka: What?**

**Kanra: are you tired Tarou?**

**Kanra: You only use short responses when you are tired~**

**Tarou Tanaka: Yeah, a little bit.**

**Kanra: HAH!**

**Kanra: Thus proving that Tarou stays up late with his boyfriend!**

**Kanra: KYAAAA!**

**Tarou Tanaka: WOAH. O_o what a 'Kya'.**

**Tarou Tanaka: Wait… NO!**

**Tarou Tanaka: I DO NOT.**

**Kanra: Do to!**

**Kanra: Don't try to hide it from me!**

**Kanra: Why don't you want me to know anyway?**

**Tarou Tanaka:….**

**-Tarou Tanaka Has PMed Kanra-**

**Tarou Tanaka: Cause he's a two-timer.**

**Kanra: Oooooh~**

**Kanra: Tarou is paranoid~**

**Tarou Tanaka: No… he's seriously a two-timer.**

**Kanra: Ah.**

**Kanra:….**

**Kanra: kya!**

**Tarou Tanaka:?**

**Kanra: You're still with him even though he's a cheater!**

**Kanra: What loyalty!**

**Tarou Tanaka: Yeah, I geuss.**

**Kanra: Hmmm~**

**Kanra: What's up? You do like him right?**

**Tarou Tanaka:…. I guess, yeah.**

**Tarou Tanaka: I mean, I still want to be with him. He was the one who asked me out in the first place.**

**Kanra: What do you mean by Two Timer?**

**Kanra: How far does he go?**

**Tarou Tanaka: Simple flirting, I guess. With older women.**

**Tarou Tanaka: But he acts like I'm not even there. And he tells me to not say anything when he is with these woman, just to smile.**

**Tarou Tanaka: Maybe I'm just jealous…**

**Kanra: Maybe….**

* * *

"I'm sorry. I overslept today." Mikado explained while taking the notebook from Kida. "I guess I owe you one, man. Thanks." Kida smiled at him.

"No worries. I figured that it would a bit stressful juggling schoolwork while you're still settling into your apartment. And to all of us players out there, game on." He winked at me, waving to a passing girl.

"U-um…. Kida, listen. About the girls-"

"You losing the necktie too? Or did you forget?" Mikado peeked down at his uniform and saw that his necktie was not on. He blinked. He never forgot a single part of his uniform before. Never. "What about your wallet? Did you forget that too?" Mikado checked his pockets. No way.

_What is up with us today?_

_I know, we've really forgotten about a lot of our stuff.+_

"No way. I've never forgotten… Ah, man." Mikado murmured as he searched through his pockets, being eyed by Kida. He sighed before looking up again. "But anyway Kida, I'm not comfortabl-"

_Beeeep_

"Well, see you in our next class man!" Kida waved, kissing Mikado's cheek. Half-way down the hall, Kida yelled out. "Hey Mikado! How about for lunch we head up to the roof together! ALONE~" He sang. Mikado instantly ducked his head into the notebook, ignoring the pestering mumbles and murmurs of passing students.

The rest of the day had been a bore, even the lunch break with Kida on the roof wasn't too exciting. Mikado sighed as he put his shoes into his little locker, before turning to a gloomy Anri.

"What's wrong Anri?" He asked.

"It's my shoes. They're gone again."

"Gone?"

An arm swung around Mikado's shoulder. "What'd you forget this time Mikado~" It was Kida.

"It's Anri. Her shoes are missing."

Once again. Such a boring day dragged on for the boy. Even after finding Anri's shoes and returning them, she barely looked him in the eye before closing the door in his face. And he knew that soon all the weird myths and fights that happened in Ikebukuro would slowly but surely become the norm. Nothing would change. Nothing would happen. Nothing new. Or atleast that's what he thought.

* * *

**Later that night**

"Where is he?" Mikado asked himself, scrolling through his phone curiously at the recent text messages he got from Kida.

[Hey, wanna go out tonight?]

[Right now, Kida? It's getting late.]

[Ik. But~ I miss you~ :3]

[Okay, okay. When will you pick me up?]

[Can't do that. How about you meet me at the café around 9:00?]

[Jeez…. Fine. You better not be late!]

[Now, Mikado. When am I EVER late?]

[Every day.]

[Touché]

_Great. He's late again. Why call me out here in the middle of the night if he's not gonna show up?_

_Maybe something came up, you never know._

_Then he should text in advance!_

Mikado sighed and slumped into his seat, slurping onto a cup of ice coffee. He stared at the empty seat in front of him, frowning. The café was practically empty, only a few people in and they were couples laughing and having a good time. Great.

But that was when he notice the table in front of his, and spot out a familiar jacket that he saw not too long ago.

_O-Orihara-san!_

_What's he doing here?_

Izaya had his back turned to Mikado, so he hadn't noticed him yet. He bit his lip and simply looked away. It was none of his business. Suddenly his phone made a small ring, and he answered it.

"Yeah?"

"_Mikado?"_

"Kida? You're late, what happened?"

"_Yeah, something came up."_

"….You're joking right. Come on, it's really getting late."

"_Don't worry, I'll make it up tomorrow. Promise."_

"Will you actually keep this one?"

"_Mikado, seriously, something big came up."_

"R-really? Are you okay?"

"_I'm sorry, I gotta go." _And with that, the phone beeped off. He sighed to himself.

_I hope he's alright._

_Did someone hurt him?! We've gotta check on him!_

_He sounded like he wanted to be alone…_

_I don't care! We need to know if he's Ok-_

"Ryuugamine~?" A voice sang in his ear, and he noticed Izaya was sitting in Kida's seat, smirking.

"A-ah! Orihara-san, I didn't see you!" Mikado blurted out, bowing his head slightly. A small chuckle sounded.

"Ah…as formal as always, Ryuugamine." He said, sipping a cup of coffee. "Now what would you be doing out so late? Knowing you, you would be home right now, right?"

_How does he know that?_

"W-well…um…" Mikado was at a loss for words. He really hadn't had anything planned for tonight, so he didn't have much of an answer. "Um…. Nothing really?"

"Was that a question or an answer?" Izaya asked, eyeing him down. Mikado thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"What are _you _doing here?" He suddenly asked the informant broker. Izaya chuckled, grinning.

"Oh, me? I was taking a midnight stroll and I was in the mood for some coffee. Does that answer your question?" Mikado stared into Izaya's eyes for a few moments, before Rikoteki had something to say.

_He's lying._

_What do you mean?_

_He's freaking lying! Can't you tell?!_

_How do you know?_

_I can see it in his eyes, he's hiding something._

"Ryuugamine?" Mikado came back from his thoughts when Izaya flicked his forehead. "It's rude to stare." Mikado rubbed his forehead, looking up at Izaya.

"U-um… Orihara-san?"

"Yes, Ryuugamine?"

"What are you _really_ doing here?" At this, Izaya went silent. Mikado gulped when he felt it get quite tense between the two. He glanced around and noticed that the last remaining couple were leaving and that the café was closing up.

He suddenly felt something sharp brush his cheek.

"Would you really like to know?" He heard Izaya whisper. He froze, looking through his peripheral.

"U-um… that depends…"

"Haha…. That, once again, is something you'd say, isn't it?" Mikado wanted to cry when he felt the knife cut into him. "Want to know?"

Mikado gulped, before slowly nodding.

_Why the hell did you nod?!_

_I DON'T KNOW!_

"That's good! This actually might be a little fun!" He laughed bringing back his knife, shoving it into his pocket. Mikado rubbed his face, feeling blood smeer. "In fact, you might make my job a little easier, Ryuugamine!"

Mikado's breath caught in his throat. What had he gotten himself into?


	4. Flaws

**How lucky I am**

* * *

"Hey, Saki." Came a soft voice from the door. The brown-haired girl turned and smiled when he saw Kida standing there, watching over her.

"Hello, Kida." She greeted with a smile. "Have you come to confess your love?" Kida laughed and walked towards the window, staring at the night sky.

"You and I are done. Over with. Ancient history." He explained. He smiled towards the window and murmured, "I'm with someone else now. Someone special."

"Another girl? You know that no girl will ever compare to me. I will always be your only true lo-"

"It's not a girl." Kida suddenly spat, fists clenched. He swallowed and sighed. "It's….not a girl. You got that?" Saki remained silent, as if thinking over this new piece of information. Finally, she giggled to herself. Kida raised an eyebrow and looked over to her.

"Yeah, yeah. Izaya already told me that." Kida froze. _How did Izaya know? _"And just so you know, it won't matter if it's a boy or a girl; they still mean nothing to you."

"What are you talking about…?" Kida muttered, biting his lower lip. "I really care for Mikado. I really, really do." He told her again. He looked at the ground, remembering how he cancelled their date just now.

"But Izaya said-"

"It doesn't matter what he said." Kida interrupted. He was getting fed up hearing that man's name again and again. "I like Mikado. I don't like you anymore. Get over it." That came out harsher than he wanted it to, but it was true. He truly liked Mikado. A lot. He didn't want anything to rough up his relationship with him, any more than it already was. He knew Mikado was jealous of his constant flirting with woman. He knew that too well. But that was a flaw of him that he just couldn't fix. He was naturally a flirt, and he couldn't help it. He just hoped Mikado understood that.

But truly, honestly, Mikado was very important to Kida. That's why he doesn't want to lose him to stupid gang wars, or stupid informant brokers, or to crazy bartenders. Kida was already a foot deep into the darkness this city had waiting for him, but Mikado had a clean slate. Mikado was Naïve. He was doing fine. He was loving each day like it was the best day ever, and that's how Kida wanted it to stay.

"….Well, then why'd you came here?" Saki asked curiously, still smiling. Kida let out a sigh and sat next to her.

"Because I still care about you. That's it." But he still cared for Saki. Their relationship had been shredded to pieces long ago, but he still cared for her. He would still talk to her, still check up on her. And if he had the chance, he would go back and try to save her. But that's not possible. And that fact made Kida mad.

"It's just like Izaya said, you still care for me." She smiled, leaning back onto the hospital bed. Kida frowned. That man. Izaya Orihara. He was the reason he couldn't leave her. The reason he came to her every night. The reason he can't move forward with Mikado. He was the cause of all this.

_Why does he have such a hold on her? What did he do? What did she do? Well, I guess I have nowhere to talk; I was the same way back then. But even now, when she's lying here, unable to move, she still trusts him. I want to free her from him, but how do I go about that? There's no way I can do that alone… I have to keep trying though. Even if it means cutting some time with Mikado, I have to try. I hope Mikado can forgive me…_

* * *

Mikado didn't know what happened first; Izaya suddenly pushing him under the counter, or the men showing up from out of nowhere. He sat under the counter of the bar and listened in on the conversation.

"So who's the girl you want us to snatch?"

"Ahah, always so quick to the point." He heard Izaya's voice. "Rio Kamichiki. She's a young girl with nice brown hair pulled into two pig tails. Real sweet girl." _He's kidnapping a girl?!_

"Hmmph! Just so we're clear, we get to do whatever we want with her, right?" One of the men said. Izaya chuckled.

"Whatever you feel like! Go for it! Do whatever pleases your heart!" He cheered in a loud voice. Another man stepped forward.

"And you have the money right?" Mikado heard a small thump over him on the counter above. He saw a pair of legs come around his side of the bar.

"Right here. There you go. All laid out for you. Now that you've taken my money, I ask you to take the girl away from this place! That's all there is to it! Plain as day." Mikado felt queasy and wanted to throw up. He was honestly that scared. Granted, he was excited, but scared at the same time. The sort of feeling you get when you ride a really crazy rollercoaster for the first time.

More words were exchanged, and the men ran out of the coffee shop. Mikado couldn't tell if he could come out or not. But he felt his heart leap out his chest when Izaya suddenly showed himself, grinning from ear to ear.

"And now it's your time to shine, Ryugamine!" He called, hands in the air. Mikado almost ran out of the shop right then and there.

"W-what?!" He exclaimed as his arm was pulled. He was yanked out from the gap underneath the bar. "What are you do-?"

"We're going to play with a human!" Izaya explained, sitting by at a table. "I hope this one will be more interesting than the last ones. _Suicide group_, heh." He motioned Mikado to sit next to him. He played along and sat at the empty table.

"What do you mean 'play'?" Mikado asked, shoving his hands in his pockets and slumping down in his chair. He felt as if those crimson eyes would devour him in a second.

"It's hard to believe someone could be so predictable." Izaya sneered, playing with his flick knife. Mikado opened his mouth to retaliate, but closed it sadly.

_That's right. I am predictable. I am cliché and unoriginal. I'm nothing new or spontaneous. I'm just another bystander roaming the streets clueless. I'm nothing interesting or special._

Izaya saw that hint of sadness in his eyes and chuckle to himself. _I wonder what's going through that brain of his…_

"But, nevermind that…" Izaya said, sitting up. "I have a small request for you." Mikado looked up, feeling bored..

"What is it?" He said, sounding more rude than intended.

_And I'm a liar. Every day I keep this lie from Kida, then I go behind his back and expect him to be loyal to me. I'm the worst._

A small streak of sadness clouded Mikado's eyes again, but he instantly snapped back. He wished Izaya hadn't see it, but he knew he did.

_I really am a predictable, selfish, boring lying brat. _

Izaya hummed to himself. _I just can't tell what he's thinking, this is so interesting. _He thought to himself. Sure, Mikado was very predictable _on the outside, _but what is going on _inside?_

"Well, here's the deal…"

* * *

"_Mikado, you truly have a talent for writing." _

"_You really have quite the imagination son."_

"_You should be a writer when you grow up."_

_They would all say these compliments to him. But they meant nothing. Each time in school when they had the chance to write, it would be the only time he truly put in effort. Because, honestly, he hates anything unoriginal. Something new always has to happen, and it didn't matter whether it was good or bad._

_So, during these times in school, he would give it his all. When he wrote, he felt like he was sucked into a different world, and into his special world. There he could make things exciting happen. Nothing would get old, nothing would bore him. He could live in a place where he could always escape the mundane. _

_But that wasn't reality. That's why he can't accept the compliments. Because, each time he hears them, he's reminded on how they're not real._

_He knew he was boring. He knew that too well. He was constantly ignored for that. There would always be someone greater than him, someone on a higher level. And he was okay with that. He was fine with being a bystander. He was fine with that._

_He wanted himself to believe that. He wanted to say he didn't have such an ego that would over-rule all his good judgment. But then he would be lying. And, well, that wouldn't be anything new to him. He was always a liar. Even when he was trying to tell the truth._

_He kept his attachment to the Dollars a secret from his parents, because he knew that his parents would forbid it. It originally started as a joke. He didn't know that it would turn into something this big. But… his life with the Dollars… that was something special to him._

_They were his. His property. No one could claim the Dollars but him. He wouldn't allow it. That's why he's never told his parents. He didn't want them to take it away from him. The one thing that made him feel like he was with a family. That he had something 'his'._

_He was always pushed to the side for something better, and he accepted that. He would always do what his parents told him to do, and he'd never stray away. He'd never talk back, always bring home good grades. He was the typical role-model for younger kids._

_But it is all a lie. Even now he's keeping secrets. That…. Is a flaw he __**refuses **__fix. Sure, he could stop it at any time. But he doesn't __**want **__to stop keeping secrets. Keeping secrets was a part of him that he can never let go, and he wants someone who can accept that._

_And at the same time love him. That's why he wanted to break up with Kida. Because he__** knows **__it won't work. He knows that Kida can't accept his secrets and still love him in return. In fact, if there is no one on this planet that can do that, Mikado would rather die alone. If no one can be with him, and accept his selfish needs, he will __**gladly **__sleep alone at night. He will fall into a dreamless slumber, wake up, repeat, and fall again. It will happen, and he is ready to live with that. _

_That is why he's riding on the back of the black rider, holding on the silent bike as it would bray like a horse every now and again. It all felt like one of his stories he'd written long ago. It felt like something he would find in 'his world'. That's why he's here._

_It's also why he's roaming through the van that the kidnappers were in, looking for the cash that Izaya sent him to get. Meanwhile outside the van, the urban legend was beating a few of the men outside. He took the money that was locked in a small case, and held it closely. He stopped however, when a pair of arms grabbed him from behind. He yelled some things Mikado couldn't make out, but was cut off almost as instantly as he grabbed him. The man flopped to the ground silently, and fell into a state of unconsciousness. Mikado turned towards the woman who did this, and she typed on her phone with incredible speed._

_[It's okay. They're not dead. Just unconscious.]_

_Mikado nodded, still holding the case. He crawled over towards the girl, Rio Kamichiki, who was just staring at the side of the van. She was tied up by her wrists and ankles, and a cloth was tied around her mouth to keep her from screaming. Mikado undid her ankles and wrists and took off the cloth from her mouth. The black rider showed up next to him and watched the girl closely._

_[Are you okay?]_

_The girl nodded meekly, rubbing her now free limbs. The creature typed again._

_[We've been asked to take you somewhere?]_

_The girl read the text and looked over towards Mikado. She recognized him, he was one of the kids in her classroom. He was holding a silver case with a lock on it, and some other possessions that were in the thugs' car._

_The girl silently agreed, not really knowing what to believe anymore. Mikado didn't say a word, he just waited patiently as the girl got on the back of the bike, and he would join her too._

* * *

Mikado watched as the girl tipped slowly over the edge of the building, falling to her soon end. Mikado hated that, the thought of dying. He believed in life after death, and believed in a god, but he still feared what would happen to him.

He feared the afterlife more than his current life. So he'd never kill himself, even if his life was a boring mess. It didn't end how Mikado thought it would though. At the last second, Rio was saved by the Black Rider. That made him happy at least. He didn't like to see death.

He was so interested in both of the girls' conversation that he failed to hear the door close behind him. He jumped when he felt two hands grip his shoulders roughly.

"Ah, Ryugamine!" A familiar voice sounded behind him. "It's nice to see you're enjoying the show!"

Mikado panted and sighed. "Orihara-san you scared me…" Izaya swung in front of him, smirking like the devil.

"Did you get what I requested?" He asked, now a little serious. Mikado stepped aside and showed him the small case. Izaya grinned.

"Good, good! I'm glad you decided to follow my orders instead of taking this for yourself, that's quite honorable of you." He teased, patting Mikado's head. Mikado looked down shyly.

"Yeah, I guess…" Izaya searched through the stolen items and chuckled. He looked back at Mikado.

"seriously, I half expected you to run off with the valuables. I guess you're just the type of boy who does what he's told." Mikado bit his bottom lip.

_Yeah... I guess that's who I am. Always being so good. Never doing a single bad deed. That's me._

"How much do you want as a reward?" He asked him. Mikado thought for a moment and shrugged.

"Anything would be fine, I guess." _The sooner I'm away from this guy the better._ Mikado thought.

"Really? You know, I _could _just tell you off and you would have just done labor for free…" He snickered, opening the case to reveal a large amount of money. Mikado tensed up, and Rikoteki fumed.

_This man is really getting on my nerves, Mikado!_

_Just relax Rikoteki! The sooner we get away from him, the sooner we get to safer grounds._

_Whatever! I just wish you would stop being so generous and ask for some damn money!_

_Rikoteki…_

"… But I'm not _that _evil! I'll give you a reasonable amount of this, and some of these things you jacked from the van. You see, these men I was working with stole a few things from me. I wanted them back, but if it were me that were to take them back, I might'v gotten hurt. It's nothing personal." His voice was mockingly, and he looked like a predator stalking his prey. Mikado glared at him, shoving his arms in his pockets.

"Orihara-san…?" He began. Izaya looked over. "Why did you do that to Rio?"

"Do you really care?" Izaya asked and Mikado blinked. What did he mean? "I mean, if you knew the reason, would it benefit you in some way?"

Mikado thought for a second, before coming to a realization. It wouldn't. He really could care less whether Rio lived or died. The concept of death in general was what he didn't like, but the actual person dying? Most of the time he didn't really care unless it was someone he truly cared about. But, that was something only he should know.

'I-I don't know what you are saying…" Mikado lied. He felt a little nervous. The longer this continues, the longer the night will seem.

"I think you do. You see, I like observing you."

"Observing me?" Mikado repeated, fiddeling with his phone in his pocket.

Izaya jumped in front of him, making him flinch. He smirked down at the teenager. "You want to know why?"

Mikado narrowed his eyes and muttered, "Well, usually when I want to know something from you I get involved in some sort of kidnapping."

Izaya snorted at the comment and continued," Simply said, I love humans. To me, they're the most interesting things you can find in life. I like to see them in all kinds of situations. I like to read them and get inside their heads…" Izaya looked past Mikado and out towards the edge of the building, and pushed past him. He walked over and stood over the edge. He looked down at all the civilians, at how they walked by through the streets of Ikebukuro. It made him laugh harder.

Mikado sweated slightly and his heart beated twice as fast. "O-orihara-san?" He called out, but he didn't get much of an answer.

"I love them." Izaya muttered in between chuckles. Mikado stepped next to him and raised a brow.

"What was that-" Suddenly, his shoulder was grabbed and shoved towards Izaya. The informant flung his arm out towards the city and motioned Mikado to look.

"Don't you see, Ryuugamine?!" He called out, grinning from ear to ear. Mikado paled. "How much I love these people?! How much I love this freaking job?! I love them! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!" Izaya trembled with excitement and was laughing maniacally. Mikado shook a little, out of fear and joy. He hated to say this, but _he was actually enjoying this. _This was more fun than when he reunited with Kida, than when he rode with the black rider. He didn't know why, but it just made him feel better. _Happier in a way._ Maybe this is what he was looking for, but he would never admit that. Never.

"I… LOVE…THEM! HUMANS!" Izaya screamed out, pointing towards the beautiful city of Ikebukuro. "I LOVE HUMANS! SO MUCH!"

Mikado was shaking so hard, like a child after they just got their shots. Or like a dog after they found a new toy to play with. He never felt better. Never.

"And…. My beloved human should love me too… isn't that right, Mikado Ryugamine~?" He breathed, glancing over at the trembling teenager.

* * *

"Mikado! Mikado!" Kida called from across the hall, before tackling the other in a hug. Mikado gasped and fell backwards. He groaned and looked at the blonde.

"Masaomi-"

"I'm sorry! I'm soooo sorry I missed our date! I promise I'll make it up to you! I promisepromispromisepromise-"He pleaded before getting a hand shoved in his face.

"Geez, Masaomi, its fine!" Mikado explained but Kida continued to hug him.

"No, it's not enough! I gotta do something to make it up to you! Anything!" Kida held Mikado closely, ignoring the murmuring students around. Mikado was used to the constant whispering of passing students, so he could care less. He chuckled.

"Honestly, Masaomi. Its fine, I swear." Mikado pushed Kida off him and stood up, Kida following after him.

"But you look WAY tired! How long did you stay up last night?" Kida asked worriedly. Mikado gave a half-smile.

_Stayed up all night stealing from kidnappers, and played cat-and-mouse with a certain informant broker, because of you. Speaking of which…_

"Speaking of which, what came up last night?" He asked, brushing some dirt of his school uniform. Kida stared him down for a minute, then replied.

"Just something important came up, a friend needed help." Mikado answered with a simple 'oh'. Kida smiled softly. "I hope I didn't cause you much trouble…"

_Oh, no…. no trouble at all!_

"Nah, I just pulled an all-nighter. You know how I am." Mikado said, walking away from Kida.

"Lunch on the roof again?" Kida called out. Mikado smile and nodded, but he felt his blood boil. He was angry.

_Lunch on the rood? Lunch on the roof?! That's how he's going to make it up to me?! After all that crap I went through?!_

_Man, I'm so tired… I didn't even get to go on chat last night…_

_I don't care about the chat right now. All I care about is getting some freaking sleep. I swear I need to get paid more for this._

…_.Rikoteki-_

_Don't say it._


	5. Things begin to piece

How lucky I am

Footsteps were heard as the woman walked up the silent room over to the man sitting by the bright window. It was a decent apartment. Fairly big, clean, and it looked quite expensive. It was the perfect place you'd see a family settle down in. However, the only one who accompanied this household was a young, 25 year old informant broker. Namie didn't have to introduce herself, because the man already beat her to it.

"We've never met before, have we?" He spoke, slowly turning his chair to face her. "I hope that list of illegal aliens was useful, Namie yagiri." Namie's eyes narrowed at the suspicious man who was smirking deviously at her. "I'm glad to see you. You're chief of Yagiri Pharmaceuticals, it's such an honor for you to visit my humble abode. So please, have a seat miss Yagiri-" Namie didn't care for what the man had to say to her, and shoved the photo of her and he brother at him. He looked down at the picture.

"I need you to find my brother, it's urgent." She demanded, crossing her arms. Izaya raised a brow and looked up at her. "I will pay you however much to find him. I haven't heard a word from him since last night. He should still be in Ikebukuro-"

"Now hold on. He really hasn't been out of contact that long. What's got you so worried?" Izaya asked, curious on the woman's demands. Namie's face tensed up.

"It's the girl he's with. She has a scar around her neck."

"A girl?" Izaya asked, before smirking. "He is a boy with needs after all."

Namie furrowed her brow and clenched her fists. "Get started at once!" Izaya was brought back a bit by the outburst. Such a controlling woman, definitely the role of the chief of Yagiri Pharmaceuticals.

After a small conversation with the stubborn woman, Izaya ended up having to research up where Seiji Yagiri was. Not much was said between the two and silence was in the air once more. But Izaya was fine with that, as he had the next moves planned out perfectly. But, before this plan of his could work properly, he had to figure out if 'this' was true.

* * *

Don't ask Mikado why he had a girl in his apartment. Just don't. Long story short, he ran into a nameless girl who was being chased by the black rider, and she hasn't been speaking since. Yeah, typical day for the Dollar's leader.

It took a lot of convincing to get Kida to believe it too, and with that, he just left. Short and sweet. Mikado doesn't know how he keeps getting in these situations.

He sighed and looked over at the sleeping girl, and looked at the deep scar that was on her neck. It was jagged and bold, almost similar to…

Mikado shook it off and head to the bathroom to take a shower. He turned the handle to warm and watched as the water flowed down. He hoped that the noise wouldn't wake the stranger he had in the house. He grabbed some night clothes, and a towel and headed to the bathroom.

He quickly stripped and stepped into the drizzle of warm water. He scrubbed his body down and face, and washed his hair. It took him less than ten minutes. He hated long showers. He got out, dried himself and put on his pajamas. He then walked up to the mirror. He inhaled deeply, and then let it out gruffly.

He stared at the foggy mirror, and then used his hand to wipe the cloudiness away. He saw his reflection. His hair was dripping wet, and his face the same. He wiped them both with his towel, and then looked back in the mirror. He saw it.

It made him growl to look at it. Similar to the girl, there was a large scar that was imprinted on his neck. He used his fingers and traced the mark gently, then just shook his head. He bent down and opened the cabinet underneath he sink, and grabbed a foundation he had. He chuckled slightly, wondering what Kida would think if he saw that he had make-up.

He came out of the shower and went to his futon, and shoved the make-up under his pillow. He would make sure to wake up before the girl, and apply it over his scar. He can't let anyone see that scar.

Also, don't ask Mikado how he felt about the whole 'Izaya' business. If anything, he was more scared of him than interested in him. Every time he saw the informant broker, he got a chill up his spine. He wanted to do anything he had in his power to stay away from him.

_That's a lie._

_What?_

_It's a lie. Stop lying to yourself._

_What? You think I…? No. Just stop right there._

_Come on, you know you think he's cool._

_No, I don't. He scares me._

_Yeah, and you have a kink about that, don't you?_

…_. Shut up. I have a boyfriend. He's nice, cool, funny-_

_A cheater, a liar, and a hypocrite…_

_Whatever. He still loves me, that's all that matters._

_But-_

_Shut up, I'm not speaking to you anymore._

* * *

The next day was the same. The girl hadn't woken up at all that morning, so Mikado quickly took advantage and went on his usual morning routine. When he went to school, Kida kept rambling to people about Mikado's situation, but no one believed it. That's good.

The two boys also met a boy of the name 'Ryo Takiguchi'. He was a part of the Dollars, to Mikado's surprise. He didn't think he'd find someone who would proclaim their attachments to the Dollars so easily. He also said how he met a bunch of people who were in the gang, and that they're easy to find. It usually worries Mikado how much the Dollars keep growing every day, but this information actually made him happy. _His _Dollars were growing. _His Dollars. _He knew there were _some _bad people in the group, but honestly, the Dollars were good people. At least, most of them were.

* * *

"I wonder if Masaomi's hall monitor meeting is over." Mikado asked curiously, walking in the hall with Anri. She simply shrugged and didn't look at him.

"Well, if it isn't than it should be over shortly." She said bluntly, checking the time on her phone. Mikado's shoulder slumped. He could never officially get her attention. The only thing that actually caught her eye were the girl's Mika Harima used to hang out with that ran passed them.  
Mika Harima, Seiji's stalker, had been missing for some time.

"So, um… Have you heard anything new on Mika Harima?" Mikado asked genuinely, hoping to get a reaction out of her. He only got head shake, so he gave up and just continued walking. That is, until someone called him from down the hall.

"Mikado!" A random kid Mikado has never seen before called. "Masaomi says to go home without him."

_I bet I know why._

"What? Why?" Mikado replied.

"It's nothing. It's just the hall monitors are having a huge argument right now!"

_I bet they are. I'm sure he's not kissing some girl right now._

"A-ah… got it!" Mikado called back. He felt jealousy burn from within him, and he swallowed something in his dry throat. He turned back to Anri. "S-so! Umm, ready to go!" Mikado wanted to get away from the school, before he snapped. Anri saw that, and nodded quickly. She grabbed his wrists lightly, and pulled him away.

Even if Anri hadn't known Mikado for a very long time, she could tell that he at least cared for her and Kida very much. So she didn't ask twice before walking home with Mikado.

Mikado quickly tried to calm his nerves, trying to convince himself that Kida _wasn't _lying to him.

"I-I wonder what he could be arguing about! I mean, it-it could be something small like-"

"MIKADO!" His name echoed from above him. Both Anri and Mikado turned and gazed up, only to see Kida waving his arms at him. "I'll call and check up on you and the fine chika later! You have to introduce me to her when I get back! LATER!" With that, he disappeared in the window.

Mikado let out a sigh of relief, and hung his head. He had gotten jealous for no reason, again. He was really pathetic.

Anri must have seen that sad look in his eye, because she instantly tried to take his mind off it. She tried explaining how she knew Mikado, but it only came out creepy and stalker-ish.

_You know what, let me just draw the line for Anri to see clearly._

"U-um, yeah… I'm glad we became friends." Mikado said randomly, smiling genuinely. Anri blinked, a little surprised.

"O-oh! Yes… I'm glad we're friends too!" She replied nervously, bowing slightly. Mikado sweated. Anri didn't seem to be used to hearing that. That made Mikado wonder, just who was Anri? It's easy for a person to put on a façade, I mean, just look at _him._

The two then went to walk home, but were interrupted by a familiar face.

"You! It's him! It's the guy! Takashi, look!" She exclaimed, pointing a finger at Mikado. He scrunched his face and cocked his head to the side. She couldn't be talking about him, he didn't even know her…wait a minute…

"I-I'm sorry, but do I know you?" Mikado asked, adjusting his girl scowled, and her 'boyfriend' sneered mockingly. She suddenly held up a sparkling phone up to Mikado's face.

"I'm the girl whose phone was smashed by your stupid boyfriend!" She snapped. Mikado blinked, cocking his head once more. _Boyfriend? Kida? No… He never smashed any phones…_

_Then what other boyfriend's do I have?!_

_Wait… phone smashing…?_

Mikado suddenly got a flashback back to when he saw Izaya smashing a phone a while back. Now that he thought about it, they were next to a group of girls… Oh no.

Mikado's face must have paled so much, because he started to feel light headed as Takashi towered over him.

"This true? Your boyfriend was the one who busted my girl's phone?" He growled menacingly. Mikado's cheeks tinted a little.

"He's not really my boyfriend…" Mikado muttered, looking away. But the front of his jacket was yanked forward, and he was face to face with the thug in front of him. Mikado froze, eyes staring forward. If he was an animal, the fur on his back would be standing straight up.

"Then who is he?! You're daddy?! A brother?!" He spat, glaring down at the teenager. Mikado felt himself relax and his eyelids slanted down half-way lazily. Rikoteki took over.

"Ah… Is that really your other suggestions?" He said back in a dead-panned voice. He secretly reached into his bag and felt a pen slip into his hand. _This guy's gonna get it…_

_No… calm down a little-_

_No! I'm being threatened! I'm gonna stab him! _

…_Just be careful…_

"HUH?!" The bully exclaimed, hearing the I-will-hurt-you-so-hard tone in Mikado's monotone voice. "You getting a little saucy there runt! Let me show you where you belong in the food chain!" Mikado clicked the pen, and quickly took it out of his bag. He was going to stab him, most likely in the neck or some fatal spot.

That is, until Takashi was slammed into the ground by the black rider. Mikado jumped back, his darker side completely vanished. The black rider was just in front of him, kicking the crap out a guy picking on him…. And now Izaya was stomping on the girl's boyfriend… great.

Izaya giggled psychotically as his jumped on the man's back, looking like a little kid who just found a new ride to play on. Mikado sweat-dropped.

"Definitely not my boyfriend." Mikado whispered to himself. Izaya slowly came to a halt on his jumping, and strolled over to the girl in front of him. He cackled.

"Are you trying to break my rule of hurting women? What a clever girl you are…" He said, one hand in pocket. _Although….. _"I would ask you out…. But you are _so _not my type. Now Scram!" The girl bursted into tears and took off down the side walk.

"You're an ass-hole!" She yelled out in sobs. Izaya smiled sweetly, waving his hand in the air.

"Have a nice day!" He sang happily. _… I can't say I wouldn't mind it…._

Izaya turned to Mikado, and smirked. He looked him up and down, which made him very uncomfortable. "Mikado Ryuugamine. I was laying low by the gate just waiting for you."

_ . . ?! Why me?! I'm just a lame high-schooler who has probably shortened his life-span by 50% by creating a gang like the Dollars! _

"Oh really…?" Mikado replied nervously, turning his head away. Even when he wasn't looking, he could still feel those red-eyes on him. Izaya patted his head lightly, making him jump.

"Yes, really—Ryuu-chan!" Mikado nearly keeled over at the nickname. He could handle "Air-conditioner", he could handle "Pocky-sticks", he could even handle "Pet", but he could NEVER handle…. _Ryuu-chan. _"I wanted to speak to you."

"O-orihara-san…" Mikado whined_. _He needed to go home, to HER. That's when Mikado got really nervous. Izaya raised a brow.

'_I wonder what's got him so worried.' _Izaya thought to himself. '_Maybe the little girl in his apartment, could be…"_

"But anyway, what's the black rider doing here?" Izaya changed the topic. Mikado's breath caught in his throat. _The black rider! It's looking for that girl…. Oh, no… I need to get out of here… now…_

"A-ah!...I'm going to be late! Erika said she wanted to see me after school, I'd better head off now! See you anri!" He explained the the black-haired girl, who was very confused on the situation. Mikado scurried off, hoping that the two creeps that followed him would leave him alone.

Nope. Not even close.

He ended up stopping half-way there, the sun already setting and tainting the city with a hazy orange. He turned back towards the… well, the very _child-like _informant broker who was pretending to ride a motorcycle, and the black rider.

"U-um… okay…" Mikado started shyly, stopping the two behind him. "If you have something to say, say it now."


	6. answers are given with questions

How lucky I Am

Kida always knew they would get together. It was easy to see, even for a complete ditz like himself. He always had a thing for the dark haired boy. He was like a small kitten. Bright large blue eyes, soft shaggy black hair, scrawny body. And his personality; It was so sweet. He couldn't hurt a fly. He was shy and kind and so pure. That's what Kida loved most about Mikado.

He s also smart, loyal, and extremely cute when he wants to be. He's almost perfect for Kida. Almost.

But even for Mikado, he had his faults. And, this one day during the hall monitor meeting, he decided to list them to himself on a sheet of paper.

**The Bad Things About My Sweet Mikado**

**By the one and only Masaomi Kida**

**1: His insecurities. Always complaining about himself and his self-esteem is very low. He always puts himself below others, and I hate that about him.**

**2: He's a total coward. He would probably run away if he saw a bug fly near him. **

**3: A total know-it-all. Every time I get a bad grade, he ALWAYS goes on and on about the right answers. It gets VERY annoying.**

**4: He's completely TERRIBLE at conversation. If it weren't for me, I don't think he'd ever say a word throughout the day. Neither would Anri, now that I think about it.**

**5: Very jealous. He gets mad whenever I even talk to a girl in a slightly, SLIGHTLY flirty manner. Really annoying. I wish he would just drop it already, and accept me for who I am.**

**6: Speaking of annoying, he is. A LOT. Especially around exams, or when we're trying to do something fun.**

**7: Keeping secrets behind my back. He still doesn't trust me even though we are dating. He thinks I still can't see it.**

**8: Despite being the, stated by Erika, 'girl' of our relationship, he feels the need to be in charge a lot, and sometimes pushes me around. Not violently but more gently, and it gets irritating sometimes.**

**9: Not knowing the mood of the conversation. As I said before, terrible at conversation. **

**10: Being too formal all the freaking time.**

**11: Being way too boring some times. **

**12: refusing to kiss or to cuddle when he is studying or when he's tired.**

**13: Being so sensitive about his neck area. I heard from Anri that he said that he had some sort of past with his neck, but still he gets REALLY pissed off about it.**

**14: staying up late studying. I know he needs good grades, but REALLY?**

**15: Being way too gullible for his own good. I could tell him anything, and he'd believe it without a doubt. It's not good for living in Ikebukuro.**

**16: Even though being totally shy and easy to tear up, he REFUSES to be comforted while he's crying.**

**17: He always has a gloomy feel to him. He always manages to suck the fun out of almost everything we do together.**

**18: Being so damn protective of his phone. Always hiding it from me. What is there to hide?**

**19: Never knowing when he is wanted or not. Sometimes he just hangs around too long, and sometimes he just leaves too early.**

**20: Has a hard time showing the way he feels. I always feel like I'm the one pushing the relationship along.**

**21: As much as I LOVE this about him, I also hate it; He's so damn pure. He's always so kind and would probably do anything for me. I love that, but I don't want him to get hurt because of this.**

**22: too blunt. The word subtly to him means nothing. Of course, he would apologize right afterword.**

Kida wrote this list because he wanted to show this to Mikado, trying to get him to work on some of these flaws of his. But after the hall monitor meeting, he reread it, and realized how harsh and cruel he sounded. So he just shoved it in wallet and left on his own. He was still debating on whether or not to show the paper.

He decided he would stay over at Mikado's house today to make up for his absence. However when he got there, Mikado wasn't there. In fact, the girl wasn't there either. The apartment was empty and that left Kida confused. Did he find out who the girl was? What had happened to her? Was she okay? Was Mikado Okay?

All these questions swirled in his head, and finally he decided to just go home. He would call Mikado in the morning and check up on him, but right now he had to check on someone else. Saki.

While heading out the door he took out his wallet so he could see how much money he had left, when a gush of wind came and blew out the list he made of Mikado. Kida tried to grab it, but sighed when he found out he couldn't. He shrugged. He wasn't going to show it anyway.

* * *

Mikado really doesn't know how he gets himself in these situations. Especially now, when he was being shoved down by his will by a couple of grown men. He struggled roughly, but to no avail. Finally one of the men grabbed his bangs and forced his head up, while keeping his foot on his back.

"Show us where you're hidin' the girl. This strand of hair looks like a girl's hair." One of them said, holding the strand of hair in front of him. Mikado whined slightly, having nothing to defend himself with.

"L-l-listen! I really don't know! Just let me go o-okay?" The teen stuttered out, but the men just yanked his hair even more than usual.

"As if, kid! And even if that isn't her hair, there's make-up underneath this pillow here! So cough her up already!" He yelled and Mikado paled.

"Please let me go…" Mikado muttered, feeling himself slowly fade away. One of them chuckled into his ear.

"Yeah, we can't do that. See, now that you saw our faces, we'll have to kill you now." Mikado's eyes widened at the statement. _They want to… kill me…?_

"So how do you want this done? Want to be killed here, or somewhere more pretty, cause this place is as run-down as…" Mikado didn't pay attention to the rest, as he felt his heart rate slow down and the hairs on his neck stand up.

_They want to kill me…_

"We can't man, boss said…" He grinded his teeth and clenched his fingers, eyes slowly shutting. He reopened them.

_Kill… Me…_

BAM. Before Mikado could fall into his own darkness, Izaya had kicked his door open, making his transformation drain entirely. The intruders dropped Mikado and ran out the window in a rush. The black rider tried to run after them, but Izaya had explained to her something that made her stop. Mikado didn't listen to it however, he was still recovering from that little scene.

Finally, he coughed and turned to Izaya.

"Yagiri pharmaceuticals?" Mikado asked, after hearing that part of the conversation. Izaya nodded.

"Yup. The ones who sended those guys was a woman who was the head of the Yagiri Pharmaceuticals." Everything started to piece in Mikado's head. About the girl, about seiji, about the black rider, about everything. He suddenly jumped up and went to his computer, turning it on. He typed at incredible speed, and came to a certain website.

[What's he doing?]

The black rider showed her text, and Izaya laughed. He put a hand on her shoulder and smirked.

"Jackpot." He simply stated. The woman was highly confused, but she shoved that confusion away and focused on what was happening in front of her. Izaya strolled over to Mikado and draped himself over him, resting his chin on his head and having his hands on his shoulders. Mikado tried to shake him off, but was more preoccupied with the task at hand than to care as much as he normally would. "You know, I only half believed this was true…" Izaya muttered lazily, a sly grin on his face. Mikado knew what he was talking about.

"I'm guessing then that our meeting wasn't a coincidence?" Mikado asked. Izaya gave a low chuckle and nodded.

"Smart as usual, Ryuu-chan." Izaya replied, and Mikado once again winced at the nickname. Izaya thought for a moment as Mikado continued to type on the computer. "Ryuu-chan, Kiri-kun, Gami, Mika, Ryuuga, hmm…." He kept muttering. Mikado raised his eye brow.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm trying to see what a good nickname is. Ryuu-chan doesn't sound right…" The broker pouted, letting more of his weight on the boys back. Mikado rolled his eyes, before grinning at his computer.

"Ne, Orihara-san…?" He asked after a minute. Izaya hummed to show that he was listening. "You're an info-broker, right?"

"Why yes I am! How may I be of service?" He exclaimed, happy that the teen needed his help. Mikado thought for a moment, then said,

"I need some info on the leader of Yagiri pharmaceuticals." He answered bluntly. A sadistic grin came to Izaya's face, and he snickered.

"This is not the place to chat, Ryuugamine. Let's head to a place more safe, and you'll come too, won't you Black Rider?" The two turned towards the woman, who just nodded as a reply.

* * *

Mikado watched as the girl stepped out of the car. She had long dark brown hair that reached her back, and a green sweater. She had a pretty face, and a slim body. Mikado knew that this was the girl he was looking for.

"Are you Mikado?" She asked as she walked up to him. Mikado didn't reply. She knew the answer to that question, so why bother. She smirked. "You're a much quieter kid than I thought you were. Or maybe it's kids like you that are the scary ones." She intimidated him. No. Frightened him. "So what's this trade you talked about?"

Mikado remembered when Izaya brought him to Shinjuku and into his apartment, along with 'celty', the woman who was the black rider. It took longer than it should have, but I had to explain to celty on what to do to the stranger.

"I will tell you where the girl is." Mikado stated boldly, making sure not to stutter. Namie crossed her arms.

"What's your price?"

"I don't want your money." That came out harsher than he expected. Namie scoffed.

"Then what do you want."

"I want the truth."

Namie made a face. "The truth? I don't know what you're talking about-"

"Turn yourselves in." Mikado interrupted, clenching his fists. Namie paused for a moment.

"So that's the kind of boy you are." Namie looked at Mikado for a moment, and realized he was serious. "If you harm my brother in anyway, I won't ever forgive you. Anyone who would do such a thing, has to be punished. I won't allow it! You'd have to kill me first!" She exclaimed. Mikado stared at her, expression not changing.

_I see. That's the kind of woman she is. No wonder she can say she doesn't care about her company. The one thing in the world I treasure is me. I would do anything for my sake. That's why… facing someone like her, who uses others as an excuse for her sake, makes me sick. And with this, she messed around with lives of others… IT'S MAKING ME MAD!_

"You're over doing it. You sacrificed Harima's happiness for your own ego." Did Mikado look as mad as he was on the inside. Because if he did, half of the people on the streets would have dropped dead.

Izaya smirked as he watched this entire scenario go down. This was really getting so much fun. The informant wasn't expecting the teen to ask for his help. Nor was he expecting for him to actually turn in the girl. He also hadn't expect him to call for a dollars meeting in the middle of the city, then rub it in Namie's face. Oh, and her face. Her face was priceless. The actual epitome of true trickiness, all from this everyday bystander. It made Izaya tremble.

He knew Mikado had a dark side. It was hard to see, and only someone with true skills in observing humans would be able to see the second personality from the boy, and even they would probably overlook it. heck, even Izaya overlooked it. It was just that slight hint, that slight twitch when Takashi was about to pumble him, that he realized it. And once you realize that people have a double personality, suddenly it's so easy to see. Everytime you see that person, you can calculate what make them twitch, wince, blink, frown, grimace, anything. It almost makes you laugh at what the littlest things mean.

And this is why, instead of bailing the scene automatically, he stayed and waited for Mikado to come to him. And when he did, a smirk came on his face.

"I'm a little shocked by all this. I knew there were a lot of people online claiming that there were members of the dollars… however, I had no idea that people would actually show up to the meeting. Humans are truly interesting creatures, after all." Mikado just listened intently to him go on with his speech. He was so obedient, but it wasn't like he was willing to sacrifice his entire existence for the broker, unlike Saki would. And thats what's making this so fun. "But remember, I know you came to Tokyo to escape the mundane. But in about half a year, this will all be pretty ordinary, wouldn't it? Even with all these crazy phenomenon's going on, you would still find yourself lying in bed thinking, 'wow, can this get any more lame?'. And even so, your boyfriend would also become too boring-" Izaya stopped when he saw Mikado point the knife at him, and just smirked. _Again with the unpredictability, Mikado Ryuugamine is certainly an interesting one._

"Look, insult Kida, and I'll get mad." Mikado suddenly said, feeling himself change into Rikoteki. Izaya slowly broke into a small fit of laughter. Mikado suddenly realized what he was doing and dropped the knife. He let himself go again.

Izaya jumped down from the small ledge he was standing on and advanced towards Mikado, who was too busy staring at the ground. He placed his hands on the boys shoulder and gave him a small shake.

"Just so you know, I won't be charging you for Namie Yagiri's private cell phone number. Nor will I be ratting you out on being the founder of the Dollars." Izaya whispered to him, barely being more than 3 inches from his face. Mikado felt his face heat up, and this made the informant smirk. "It's your organization, use it however you choose." He finally said. Looking back down at the boy, Izaya twirled behind him and gripped his shoulders. Mikado was pulled back just as a flying vending machine came flying at them.

Mikado half expected this, and was half surprised. He looked and saw Shizuo heiwajima charging at them with a light post. Izaya chuckled before looking back at Mikado.

"Well, best of luck to you, Tarou-kun!~" He called while waving. He then took off down the street with the bartender chasing him. Mikado still stared off at his retreating figure, before coming to a realization.

* * *

**_-Tarou Tanaka has joined the chat-_**

**_Tarou Tanaka: Anyone on?_**

**_Kanra: I'm here~_**

**_Tarou Tanaka:…._**

**_Kanra: Hmm?_**

**_Kanra: What's wrong Tarou-kun?_**

**_-Tarou Tanaka has PMed Kanra-_**

**_Tarou Tanaka: O-orihara-san?_**

**_Kanra: Yes, my dear?_**

**_Tarou Tanaka: So, you are Kanra._**

**_Tarou Tanaka: I knew it._**

**_Kanra: Yes I am._**

**_Kanra: And you are little Mikado._**

**_Tarou Tanaka: How did you know?_**

**_Kanra: I'm an info broker._**

**_Kanra: I have ways._**

**_Tarou Tanaka: That's not totally creepy._**

**_Kanra: Aw!_**

**_Kanra: That's mean of you to say!_**

**_Tarou Tanaka: Sorry…_**

**_Kanra: KYA!_**

**_Tarou Tanaka: ?_**

**_Kanra: You're so cute!_**

**_Tarou Tanaka: Orihara-san!_**

**_Kanra: Well, it's true._**

**_Kanra: It's a shame that Kida-kun's such a cheater._**

**_Tarou Tanaka:…._**

**_Kanra: Hmm? Touchy subject much?_**

**_Tarou Tanaka:…. Let's not talk about that._**

**_Kanra: So cute…_**

**_Tarou Tanaka: whatever. So…_**

**_Kanra: Hmm?_**

**_Tarou Tanaka: You won't tell anyone?_**

**_Tarou Tanaka: Especially not Kida?_**

**_Kanra: I won't utter a word._**

**_Tarou Tanaka: How can I trust you?_**

**_Kanra: You can't. ;)_**

**_Tarou Tanaka: Great. -_-_**

**_Kanra: Oh!_**

**_Kanra: When you have the chance, stop by Shinkuku again._**

**_Kanra: I have something you oughta see._**

**_Kanra: seriously._**

**_Tarou Tanaka: Okay, whenever I have the chance._**

**_Kanra: You won't want to blow this off._**

**_Kanra: It has to do with kida-kun._**

**_Tarou Tanaka:… what about him?_**

**_Kanra: I'll show you when you get here._**

**_Tarou Tanaka: Show me now, Orihara-san._**

**_Kanra: Calm down._**

**_Kanra: I will show you in person._**

**_Tarou Tanaka: Are you lying to me right now?_**

**_Kanra: Mikado, Mikado, Mikado~_**

**_Kanra: I deceive, I torture, I joke, I play, I troll, I hurt, and I break._**

**_Kanra: But I do not Lie._**

**_Tarou Tanaka: Yeah, like I believe that,_**

**_Kanra: ;) _**

**_-Out Of PM box-_**

**_Kanra: Will you be leaving?_**

**_Tarou Tanaka: Yeah, I got school tomorrow so, yeah._**

**_Tarou Tanaka: Good Night._**

**_Kanra: have a good night, Tarou-kun~_**

**_Kanra: Remember to come soon~_**

**_Kanra: It's urgent~_**

**_Tarou Tanaka: I get it._**

**_-Tarou Tanaka has left the chatroom-_**

**_Kanra: Well that was rude. :( _**


	7. More pain, More love

How lucky I am

* * *

Ch. 7- More pain, more love

* * *

_Ring, ring, ring… the person you are trying to reach is unavailable-_

_Click._

_Ring, Ring, Ring… the perso-_

_Click. _

_Ring, ring, ring…_

_Click._

Mikado kept calling and calling, lying on his bed. He stared up at his phone in the darkness, looking at how many calls Kida had not answered. 8, so far. It was summer break, and he would be starting his sophomore year in about a month or so. For some reason, Kida had been ignoring him. More than usual. He kept calling and calling, but there was never an answer. He didn't check up on him. Because he knew where he was. He was with that Saki girl, and he had his phone on him as well. He was just choosing not to answer. You'd think Mikado would be mad, you'd think at least _Rikoteki_ would be mad, but they weren't. It was hard to explain, but they sort of gotten used to this feeling of abandonment.

Just before summer break, Kida said that he, Mikado and Anri were going to stay 'tight'. That they would be staying friends. Look where they were now. Anri had been acting… suspicious lately. Especially after the whole 'slasher incident'. Suspicious as in, she seemed to be hiding something. Speaking of hiding things, Mikado had found out about Saki long ago. At first, he was beyond pissed that Kida had a former girlfriend that he still had feelings for, and that he never said anything about it. But after a while, he had begun to accept this. And as he accepted it, it got even worse. Kida had continued to skip dates that _he _planned. And lie after lie, excuses after excuses, Mikado had just been soaking it all up. He had long fallen out of love with Kida. No… their friendship had fallen apart long ago. At least on his end. He was just staying with him to keep on keeping on. Even if it was fake, any sort of affection was what he needed. He can't be alone. He needs love. Even if it wasn't real. Even if no one can accept him, even if no one will join him in his quest to evolve, he **needs **some sort of affection.

Mikado finally closed his phone after the 9th call. He slowly sat up, and threw on a clean, gray long sleeved shirt. He put on some pants and didn't bother to do his hair. It was pouring outside, and the thunder was pounding in the sky. Even so, Mikado decided not to bring his jacket. He also decided not to bring his phone, so he wouldn't be tempted to call. He walked through Ikebukuro, and ignored his constant friends pestering him. Simon and his sushi shop, the otaku gang, Shizuo and his vending machines, everyone. He walked out of Ikebukuro, and made his way to Shinjuku. It had been months since Izaya told him to visit, and he decided that now was the time.

* * *

Kida looked at his phone with a frown. It showed 9 missed calls from a certain boyfriend of his. He shoved it back into his pocket, shaking the guilty feeling. Mikado would have to wait. He let out a sigh before stepping back into the hospital room, and saw Saki once more. It was the same routine, day after day. Nothing ever changes between them. But that was how Kida knew she was still okay. That was how he knew that _he _was okay. It was complicated, but Kida was truly in love with Mikado.

Even with all the missed dates and lies, he still harbored feelings for the teen. It was cruel and selfish, but he did. Mikado love him too… right? Each time he saw his boyfriend, he still let him kiss him. Still let Kida hug him, and still let him date him. Why would he just go through all this if he truly didn't love him?

As for Saki, and he hated to admit it, but he still loved her. It became clear to him after a while, but he would never tell her that. That would be proving her right, and when she would be proved right, Izaya would also be right. And that was a thought that he hated.

It didn't start as being each day, when it came to visiting Saki. At first, it was each month. Then, it became twice a month. Then it became once a week. Soon or later, it became each day. And he kept shoving Mikado away each time. Honestly, he was surprised Mikado had stayed with him for this long. Maybe that's why Kida loved him so much.

And then there were the yellow scarves. At least before, Kida could hang with Mikado all throughout the summer without a care in the world. Now, he had to cut their time short because he had to deal with his gang. Yes, Masaomi Kida was the creator of the yellow scarves. Lately, Anri had been attacked by the Slasher, and Kida was determined to kill it. Even if that meant destroying the Dollars along with it.

He always wondered if Mikado knew about Saki, or that he was the leader of the Yellow scarves. But if that was the case, he would leave him. Period. There's no reason for someone to stick with someone else if their relationship is fake and full of lies. Saki would always love Kida. He knew that. But he didn't know what he'd do without Mikado with him. Mikado was special, he was who he wanted to be with. Saki was special, she was who he wanted to be with. He was torn between the two, and he just hoped that he wouldn't have to choose any time soon.

No use for hoping now. That thought ran through Masaomi's head when his lips made contact with Saki's lips. It felt right. To be with her. To finally, finally be with her. It was a large load off his back. And she loved every minute of it. Saki would be able to handle him being in the Yellow Scarves. Mikado would probably think that he was insane. He's too innocent. Saki, however, would stay with him no matter what. She would love him no matter what. And he would do the same. That's why he kissed her. And, you know what? It felt good. He felt at peace. But as the strong weight of the world seem to lift off his shoulders, it felt like a stronger force was put there as a replacement. He didn't feel right. He felt… gross.

* * *

Namie's face turned sour when she saw Mikado standing in front of her. She crossed her arms and looked down at him.

"What do you want, kid?" She snapped, almost slamming the door on him. Mikado's expression didn't change. He just brushed some water off his shirt and stared her down. After a minute or two, Izaya showed up behind Namie.

"Ah, Mikado Ryuugamine!" Izaya exclaimed, pushing past Namie. "What a pleasant surprise! I've been expecting you." Mikado nodded, and he was allowed in. Izaya led him towards the large office area. Izaya strolled over and patted down on the couch, offering for the boy to sit. Mikado was hesitant, seeing as how he was soaking wet.

"Now why would Mikado risk his health by walking all the way here in the pouring rain?" Izaya asked slyly. "I mean, you wouldn't want to catch a cold would you?"

"I hope he does." Namie chimed in bluntly, before escaping to a different room. Izaya raised an eyebrow at her before turning back to the boy.

"Oh, don't worry. She's just a tad bit still upset." Izaya reassured. He slowly stripped himself of his jacket and held it to Mikado. The teen started to protest.

"I don't want to be any trouble." He muttered to the informant.

"No way, I insist!" He threw the jacket towards Mikado. "It's rude to leave a guest feeling uncomfortable, especially when it's such a rare visit." _Yeah, because I can stay comfortable with you around, Izaya-san. _Mikado glanced at the jacket before slipping it on. It took a minute before his body fully adjusted and started to warm up. But he noticed that glint in Izaya's eyes. That predatory gaze.

Izaya eyed the emperor and smirked. The jacket fit him nicely, and it looked better on him than on the informant himself! It was almost like a token, or a symbol, or maybe a sign of some sort, a sign that declared property. Property of Izaya Orihara. The thought gave Izaya evil thoughts, and Mikado sensed that. He just shook it off and sat down. At that moment, Namie brought two cups of tea and sat the down next to the two dark haired people. Mikado sweated.

"R-really! I don't want to be any trouble, Orihara-san." Mikado started, but Izaya waved him off. Izaya stood and walked towards his desk, grabbed some papers, and brought them back to Mikado. He laid them down flat on the table, and Mikado picked them up. After skimming over the info, he realized that they were recorded plans involving the Yellow Scarves and the Dollars. About how many Dollars were being hurt by the Yellow Scarves, and how they were looking for the leader. Mikado gulped slightly, thinking of what would happen if he were found out.

He turned through the pages, and each one showed more information on the reason attacks. It told him about how the Yellow Scarves wanted to know who the Slasher was, and that if it was in the Dollars that they would crush them too. That made Mikado tense. What if the slasher was in the Dollars? He doesn't exactly keep track on who joins the Dollars. Not to mention, there could be people in the Yellow Scarves pretending to be a part of the Dollars, and he still wouldn't know. But that's not what made his heart sink. The last page. The final piece. It showed the leader of the Yellow Scarves. Masaomi Kida.

It took Mikado a second to take this in, and he let it out with a sigh. But this stuck with him. It hung off his heart, and it made him feel queasy. Mikado wanted to throw up right now. He felt betrayed and screwed over. Now that he really thought about it, he couldn't sense anymore _affection _between him and Kida anymore. He looked up at Izaya, who was watching him contently.

"Why are you showing me this?" Mikado asked bluntly, shaking the papers slightly. Izaya shrugged.

"I don't know~" He sang slightly, his head tipping back until it hit the back on the couch. "Maybe I thought you should know. Maybe I was doing this out of the goodness of my heart~" The comment made Mikado nearly choke on his tea, and Izaya frowned. "Now that's rude, Tarou-kun."

Mikado looked at his tea, then back up. "Ne, Orihara-san?" Izaya looked up. "What was your relation with Kida before I came?" Izaya thought for a moment.

"What do you mean, Tarou-kun?"

_Is that my nickname now?_

"I mean, before I came, before Saki, what was your relationship with Kida?" After a moment of thinking, Izaya started giggling to himself. Mikado shifted uncomfortably.

"He never told you? We dated of course!" Mikado blinked, and then it hit him. Kida cheated on him with two people. "He really never told you this? I wonder why he wouldn't tell his own boyfriend that he had dated someone they knew. I hope that you two weren't together while we were dating, because that would be considered cheating." Izaya was toying with him, Mikado knew this too well. He just shook his head before sipping the tea. He felt an uneasy feeling in his stomach, but he brushed it off.

He mumbled, "So, how much are you going to charge me for this?" Izaya snickered.

"You know me so well, it's like we've really grown close to each other." After seeing the face Mikado gave him, Izaya got serious. "In all honesty, I'm not really planning on making you pay for this just yet. But, in do time, you will…"

"Is that supposed to be a threat?" Mikado asked, more defensively. Izaya laughed slightly.

"So predictable." Izaya stood up once more. "I will be back in a moment, I have to speak with a certain Ms. Yagiri." With that, he strolled slyly out of the room. Mikado sat there, silently. He stared at the paper, eying the photo of Kida. His first thought was to get mad at him for keeping this a secret from him, but then he just shook his head. This is the exact same thing he was doing. The difference? Mikado created the Dollars so he could have something to benefit his life, but he had no idea why Kida created the Yellow Scarves.

Out of boredom, Mikado rose up and began snooping around the room. Call him a little curious, but he always wanted to see what the informant had in his room. Curiosity killed the cat. He opened the drawer on his desk, and lied there a crumpled up, dirty and worn piece of paper. He unraveled it and read the title out loud. "The Bad things about my sweet Mikado, by the one and only Masaomi Kida." It wasn't forged. He knew Kida's handwriting better than anyone's. Izaya couldn't have been toying with him right now.

_What the hell is this? Why would Kida make a list about me… the bad things?_

He read down the list. Slowly, and carefully. He read it once, twice, and even three times. Finally, it hit him. Mikado dropped the paper to the ground, and his knees buckled and caved. He sat there, helpless. He wasn't crying. He just stared at the ground with colorless eyes.

_Damn. This is how he really feels? How long has he kept these things from me…? Well…. Damn…. Damn…. This list goes on forever… so this is what he hates about me._

…_..My insecurities… Cowardice… Jealous… annoying… too boring…. Too pure… too blunt…_

_I shouldn't be surprised._

Mikado shoved the note in his pocket suddenly, and went back to sit on the couch. He pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his chin on them. He started to tremble. It happened again. He was pushed aside for something greater. There was always someone greater than him. He would never be greater. Never. Mikado continued to wait for Izaya, and trembling at the same time. His eyes were blank, and he ducked under his arms. He looked like a child who couldn't find his footsteps of a smirking informant suddenly sounded.

"And there you have it." Izaya started, his evil grin showed broadly on his face. Namie watched this from the second foor, a frown on her face. "This is the final straw. You've finally been broken. You've been cheated, lied to, and now you've been downgraded by someone you thought would only think of your upgrades. Looks to be not." Mikado just sat there with his forehead resting on his knees now. Izaya continued. "You won't be able to escape this."

His words were hypnotic. They were full of Venom and it killed him to listen. But he did.

"This boy, Masaomi Kida, will become the one thing you need in life. It will be the one thing that will always be greater, the one thing you mirror your actions based on. If this is the case, Kida will become your God, in a sense." He sneered, crouching down next to him. Namie scowled. She will always hate Mikado for trying to separate her and her brother. For trying to hurt her brother. That is something she will never forgive. But this was different. Mikado didn't look like Mikado anymore. That shy, pathetic boy that she originally had confronted long ago, was gone. Instead, there sat the shattered pieces of that pathetic boy, right next to the informant. But he wasn't even done then.

"Now, this never would have happened if you had simply listened to me. I even told you, the only way to escape the everyday mundane, is to be constantly evolving. It doesn't matter where you're aiming; high, or low." Izaya finished, still staring at the silent boy. He was about to walk away, when Mikado made a noise. Izaya smirked because it sounded like a whimper. But it faded when he realized it wasn't. He was laughing. Those 'whimpers' slowly developed into snickers and sneers, and at this point, Namie was taking a front row seat to this show.

Izaya frowned. He couldn't tell when he was thinking. Why was he laughing? That wasn't a part of the plan.

"Ah… but you're wrong, Orihara-san." Mikado whispered hoarsely, snickering madly now. Izaya turned back towards him, and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Oh? And how is that?" He asked, feeling himself become more interested by the second.

"You see… I did listen to you. And I did try to evolve, I did try to escape the mundane. I didn't want my life to be normal. But now, I understand. Just because you keep evolving, doesn't mean you escape the everyday life." Izaya listened to this curiously. Mikado suddenly looked up, and blue eyes made contact with red ones. At that moment, a sadistic grin came onto Izaya's face. "It's when _the world_ evolves constantly, and _you_ are the one who becomes _the mundane_, that you can finally escape it."

* * *

"Hello, my boobyliscious Anri-chan!" Kida joked as he strutted towards her. She blushed slightly before bowing before him.

"Good morning, Masaomi." She greeted. Kida looked around and frowned.

"Where's Mikado?" He asked. Anri shrugged.

"I have no idea. I tried calling him, but he won't answer. Nor will he reply to my text messages." She replied. Kida went silent. He took the phone out of his pocket and checked his calls. 9 missed calls. That meant that Mikado had stopped calling him around 7:00 P.M yesterday.

What if Mikado got in an accident?

What if he was jumped?

What if that crazy informant pulled a knife on him?

Kida instantly clicked his boyfriend's number and held the phone to his ear. It rang, and rang, and rang, until he got the voicemail. He sighed and shoved the bad thoughts out of his head.

"I guess he's just not coming, or maybe he's sick. It was pouring yesterday." Anri nodded slowly, and began heading to the Russian sushi shop. Kida followed her. But the weight was still on his shoulders, and it hurt.

* * *

Izaya was _such_ a nice person. He even gave Mikado the privilege to sleep in his own bed. He should be grateful, not even the great Namie can do that. He laughed silently, thinking of how 'worried' Kida must be right now.

_How selfish of you Kida. After breaking one of my toys, you go to such an extent to try and glue it back together. Like that will work. Humans are mine. And if one of them are broken, well, I will watch them try to piece themselves back together. But Tarou-kun is different, Kida-kun. He is one of my favorite humans. And I will not just watch and let him be taken away by someone who treats him as poorly as you. But…_

Izaya smirked down at the boy.

_I have to thank you, Kida-kun. I knew that all Mikado needed to finally pull him out of his façade was a small push in the right direction. I was plotting on how to do the push, when you suddenly came in and practically shoved him beyond his good judgment. You actually helped me, so I thank you._

"Hey, wake up kid." Namie snapped angrily. Mikado sat up slowly, staring down. Izaya raised a brow.

"So rude. No wonder you don't have a boyfriend." Izaya teased before Namie glared at him.

"I don't need a boyfriend. All I need is Seiji." She answered, walking out the door. The informant looked back at the now awake boy.

"You fell asleep here, remember?" He informed. Mikado nodded slowly, moving out of the bed.

"Whatever."

"Aw, is Tarou-kun feeling a little down today?" Izaya joked. "Maybe he'll feel better knowing that Kida was worried about him all day?" Mikado suddenly looked up with hopeful eyes at Izaya.

"W-was he really?" He choked out, nearly tripping. Izaya frowned. "How worried was he?" He thought that he had broken that weird connection he had with Kida. "Orihara-san are you listening?" He thought that Mikado finally stopped clinging at him for life. "Please tell me you're not joking." Apparently not. In fact, it only seems like he made it worse. It almost seemed like Mikado was clinging to Kida even more. And Izaya didn't like that. At all.


	8. Secrets come into play

**How Lucky I Am**

* * *

_**The Next Day**_

"Mikado!" Kida called when he saw him the next day. Mikado looked up and smiled at Kida, who wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him into a long kiss. Kida pulled away and hugged Mikado tightly, making him squirm.

"What's this about?" Mikado asked while pushing Kida off him.

"We missed you yesterday. Where were you, man?" He asked with a sad smile. Mikado thought back to the night before, and feared what Kida would think. He just gave a small laugh.

"It was nothing. I just wanted to leave the area for a bit and get some fresh air." He lied. Kida gave him a long look before sighing.

"I got you." Kida said before grabbing Mikado's arm. "C'mon we haven't hung out in forever." The entire day they were out doing so many things. He took Mikado out to the movies, then out to Russia sushi. He even dragged him to a maid café. Kida kept laughing and joking with Mikado, and he just played along. But not once did Kida consider what he wanted to do. Honestly, Mikado hated the Russia sushi shop. Simon was nice, but he could not stand the food. He just acted like he did so he could hang out with Kida and Anri. Second, he hated going to the cinema. He wasn't a big TV person himself, but being at a theatre is even worse. He'd rather watch a movie at his house because a theatre limits your freedom to talk and look around. In a sense, it leaves you frozen, still and bored. Third, a maid café. Really? That was not what he was into, and Kida knew it.

At the end of the day, Kida dragged him everywhere they went. More so, it felt like he was forcing himself to do it. Like it was a chore. It made Mikado a little sad to think that Masaomi was so guilty for being with Saki, that he'd try to force himself to be with him. It really hurt, but he kept up with it. He didn't care if Kida and him had fallen out of love… or were they ever even in love? Was he forcing himself from the beginning, or was it just because of Saki? Whatever the answer was, he didn't care. He just wanted to be with Kida. Or someone. As said before, he needed some sort of affection, even if it was fake. It made him feel secure, in a way.

"Mikado, are you listening?" He heard through his thoughts and he jumped back to the present. Kida was giving him a worried look. He just realized he was being talked to.

"Oh! Sorry, I spaced out a bit!" He explained, holding his hands up defensively. Kida glared at him.

"Yeah, for the entire walk home, you mean?" He scowled before crossing his arms. Mikado opened his mouth to reply, but just shut it. It would do him no good to argue with him, because he'll always win. Reaching up to Mikado's house, Kida wished him a goodnight. Mikado leaned forward for a kiss, but the other had already walked off. They were growing farther and farther apart by the day… no by the minute. Mikado didn't know what to do about it. He was too far deep in this to back out now.

* * *

_**Shinjuku**_

"Welcome, Masaomi!" Izaya greeted happily, opening to door for Kida. He looked half dead and worn out. "Please have a seat!" He sat down on the couch, and Namie had already started up some tea for him. Izaya sat across from Kida, smirking in a way that made the blonde want to hurl.

"It's been a while, hasn't it Kida?" He asked creepily, sipping some tea. Kida didn't bother to even touch his drink. "The last time I saw you make that kind of face was when you were in middle school. That being said, your face was all adult. Okay, enough with the reminiscing. Welcome back." The last two words were said so mockingly at the boy. Kida clenched his fists and shot a glare at the informant. He gave a snicker and sunk back into his couch. "I already have a clue to what you're about to ask, and I was planning to answer you over the phone but that seemed inappropriate seeing how serious this is. I heard a friend of yours got slashed. What was her name again? Anri Sonohara?"

"Yeah…" Masaomi said through shut teeth. He caught a glimpse of those red eyes staring him down, and he looked away awkwardly. Izaya set down his cup and observed the young gang leader. He was practically begging to be put to sleep, and his hair was in a mess. His clothes were wrinkled and dirty. Izaya wanted to laugh at how pathetic the boy looked.

"Now, what would happen if this young girl had gotten mixed up in these gang wars? Well, I'd say it'd be just like your situation with Saki all over again." This time Kida looked him directly in the eye, as if daring him to say more about the girl. "Let me guess; you thought you really loved Saki in the beginning, but you were more worried for your own skin then hers. Thus making you to believe that you were only after her body, or just to toy with her. This gave you the thought that you didn't love her nearly as much as you thought you did. But after spending time with her and realizing how much she wants you, you decided to just play along and act like you really cared about her. Soon enough, these fake feelings turned back into 'love'. But is it really love? Or are you just after her body again? I bet these are the things you've been thinking about." He explained with an amused grin. Namie set down a few supplies upstairs and sighed at the broker.

"Does that guy ever quit…?" She muttered to herself before continuing on with her work.

"This concludes that you are now confused on whether you truly know what love is or not. You think this because if she were truly your lover, you'd have no problem risking your life for her. So, Anri will be the final test to this." Izaya sighed leaning his head back across the edge of the couch. Kida narrowed his eyes.

"If that's what you wanna believe, go ahead. I could care less." Izaya opened an eye and looked lazily at the teen. Kida had a look of determination in his eyes. "I just want to finish this personally."

"What are you saying? Do you mean killing the slasher, or taking down the dollars?" Izaya questioned while sitting up and leaning forward over the table.

"Depending on your answer, it might be both." He growled. He didn't mean to sound so angry, but he couldn't help it. If he had no self-control, he would have trashed the room ages ago.

"Now that's the spirit!" The informant hissed creepily, standing up. Placing a hand on his hip, his mouth formed an evil smirk. Kida didn't like that. At all. "Time for the truth, the cold facts, and the reality. You know, the three are usually quite different, but not in this case." Kida frowned at him. "Tell me something Kida; how's your boyfriend doing?"

"My what?" Kida asked, that look of determination washing away.

"Your _boyfriend. _What was his name again? Oh yeah, Mikado Ryugamine!" Izaya felt his hate for Kida burn stronger. He was starting to reach Shizu-chan's level, and that is not something any ordinary human can do. He didn't know why he felt such disgust towards the teen, or why it bugged him for Mikado to be so attached to Kida.

"What does he have to do with any of this?!" He spat, stepping towards him. Izaya chuckled.

"Well, I thought that since he was _so _important, that he would be concerned for you with the Yellow Scarves and Saki-"

"SHUT UP!" Kida suddenly snapped, much to the amusement of Izaya. Namie looked over the railing curiously. "I don't care if he's my boyfriend, or friend, or lover or whatever! This is my business not his. He's still the same. A little naïve but doing okay… _living each day like it's the best thing ever._" The last sentence was sad through gritted teeth and narrowed eyes.

"Hoh~?" Izaya teased. "It seems that there was a hint of jealousy in that tone. Is that the life you want?"

"He doesn't need to be a part of this-"

"He already is." These words stopped Kida dead in his tracks. Izaya smirked, feeling himself have the upper hand. Namie shook her head before moving one of the game pieces on the board to a new spot. "Isn't that great? Mikado is living such an _easy and calm _life here, yet he's the one who causing you pain and misery."

"What…? Don't tell me….?" Kida mumbled.

"Do I have to spell it out for you? Your boyfriend, Mikado Ryugamine, is the leader of the Dollars." It was said so casually, as if Kida was supposed to have known this already. But this was news to the blonde. _His _sweet, generous, shy little boyfriend was the leader of the unknown gang that could have the Slasher? And worst of all, Izaya Orihara was the first to know? That didn't even sound right. He shook his head.

"No way." He finally said. Izaya crossed his arms. "I won't believe it. Not in a million years, he's too innocent for that. He's harmless."

"Innocent? Maybe." Izaya pondered out loud, putting a hand up to his chin and looking away. "Harmless, however, is a lie."

"You've said enough. You don't even know Mikado, and he doesn't know you." Kida adjusted his scarf and stared down Izaya.

"Really now, Kida-kun?" Izaya cooed. "Let's see who knows more about Mikado. How old is he?" Kida bit his lip, almost drawing blood.

"He's 15, obviously." He answered. Izaya clicked his tongue and shook his head. "What do you mean 'no'?!"

"He's 16. His birthday was a month ago, Kida-kun." He explained with a smirk, and Kida stood there silently. "Next question! What is his least favorite type of food?"

"Spicy foods." He replied, but was once again rejected.

"Sushi. Shame really, I love sushi. Especially fatty tuna-"  
"You're an informant broker. It's only natural you know more than me." Kida interrupted and the broker raised a brow.

"It doesn't matter whether I'm an info broker or a random guy across the street. As his boyfriend, shouldn't you know most things about him by now?" He chuckled and walked in circles around the teen. "And also as his boyfriend, shouldn't you be loyal to him, and at least dump him before running off with Saki-"

"Say one more thing and I'll-"

"And you'll what? Will you sent the Yellow Scarves on me? I wonder what Mikado would think about that…" Kida looked up at the informant, feeling tense.

"You have contact with Mikado?" Kida felt like he didn't even know who he was talking about. Is this what Mikado was hiding from him the entire time? What else could he be keeping from him?

"Does that really matter, Kida-kun? Think about it, you should be more worried about Mikado's safety-"

"I am, by keeping him away from you. I'm not gonna let him be led astray from the likes of you."

"Now, weren't you the one who insisted on dating me? Weren't you the one always coming to me for help when you were stuck in trouble? Even when you dropped me for Saki, you always came back to me." Izaya sneered, making Kida growl.

"I was 14. You were 24. I was stupid, clueless and I didn't know what I was doing." Kida shoved his hands in his pockets, turning towards the entrance. "Besides, even if you are a creepy stalker, you're not a pedophile. You just wanted to use me to break the Yellow Scarves, and Saki, and me."

Izaya jumped in front of Kida. "Oh~? Even though you were only 14, you sure as hell were not clueless and stupid. In fact, I think you knew very well what you were doing. As for using you, yeah I did that. I'm no pedophile, nor do I feel like associating myself with anybody romantic wise. Especially not you. Although~" Izaya leered down at the gang leader."If I were to fall in love, I'd make sure to keep a good hold of them. Unlike you~"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Kida suddenly snapped, slapping his hand away from his face. It was replaced by a knife to his throat.

"It means that I only abuse my _toys, _my _humans_ you could say. You, on the other hand, abuse _everything_ close to you. The Yellow Scarves, your friends, yourself, Mikado-"

"Why do you care about him?! I don't care if you hurt or manipulate me, just leave him be. He doesn't deserve it!" Kida pushed past him and exited through the door, slamming it on the way out.

_Ah, Kida-kun. Always the protective type. However, even if I were to manipulate you other than Mikado himself, that would most likely break him even more. I don't know why or how you got such a hold on him, but in the end it shouldn't matter. It doesn't change a thing who I hurt first, both of you will break. And when you do, the war will finally begin, and it'll be a war only I can win. _Izaya thought evilly to himself.

* * *

**Tarou Tanaka: So, how's everyone been?**

**Setton: Pretty good. Nothing new.**

**Saika: U-um…. It's been pretty good…**

**Tarou Tanaka: Oh?**

**Tarou Tanaka: We have a new member? Was this the one whose account got a virus?**

**Setton: Yes. She joined not too long ago and is still a little knew to everything, so be nice.**

**Saika: … I'm so sorry…**

**Tarou Tanaka: No, really…!**

**Tarou Tanaka: It's fine! It was just a virus…!**

**Tarou Tanaka: It wasn't your fault.**

* * *

Mikado smiled sweetly at the screen. Saika reminded him of Anri. Sweet and shy-ish. To be honest, this was the only time he could truly stay honest with himself. Over the chat, he felt like he had his true friends. They wouldn't backstab him, hurt him, judge him… cheat on him, degrade him, lie to him…

Mikado shook this from his mind and focus back to the chatroom.

* * *

**-Kanra has joined the chatroom-**

**Kanra: Hello, my lovely friends~**

**Setton: Hey there.**

**Tarou Tanaka: Hi, Kanra.**

**Saika: H-hi…**

**Kanra: Oh, Tarou-kun did you already meet our newest member without me?!**

**Kanra: How rude!**

**Kanra: Friends are supposed to do things together!**

**Kanra: Except maybe we aren't just friends….**

**Kanra: Kya~**

**Tarou Tanaka: Cut that out, Kanra.**

**Kanra: Wha?**

**Kanra: No way, so the rumors are true...!**

**Tarou Tanaka: ?**

**Kanra: Tarou-kun has fallen out of love with me!**

**Kanra: Oh, woe is me~**

**Tarou Tanaka: It's not what it seems, Saika.**

**Saika: Oh… um…**

**-Setton has PMed Saika-**

**Setton: They're just joking around.**

**Setton: It happens every time here. **

**-Out of PM box-**

**Saika: Okay.**

**Tarou Tanaka: Hm?**

**Saika: I understand now, thank you.**

**Kanra: ?**

**Setton: A-ah… I'll teach you how to use the PM box later, Saika…**

**Saika: Hm?**

**-Kanra has PMed Tarou Tanaka-**

**Kanra: Oh, Tarou-kun~**

**Tarou Tanaka: What, Orihara-san?**

**Kanra: I have a proposition for you~**

**Tarou Tanaka: ?**

**Kanra: How would you like to become my assistant?**

**Tarou Tanaka:….**

**Tarou Tanaka: Seriously?**

**Kanra: Seriously. You can think of yourself as an underground agent, or maybe even a spy if you want to be creative!**

**Tarou Tanaka: Don't you already have Namie?**

**Kanra: Well, sure, but maybe I don't want her to be my assistant.**

**Tarou Tanaka: Even if I said yes, she wouldn't allow it. She hates me.**

**Kanra: And what if I tell her off?**

**Kanra: What if I make her deal with it?**

**Kanra: Don't you forget, I'm Izaya Orihara, the info broker, I have some dirt on her.**

**Tarou Tanaka: You also have dirt on me too.**

**Kanra: Yup~**

**Kanra: But if you become my partner, I'll make sure it won't be brought to anyone's attention.**

**Tarou Tanaka: Everyone but you.**

**Kanra: Exactly.**

**Tarou Tanaka: And why should I do this?**

**Kanra: Don't you wanna escape the boring aspect of everyday life?**

**Kanra: This way, there won't be one dull moment in your life.**

**Tarou Tanaka: That might be, but won't that, eventually, become the mundane as well?**

**Kanra: Maybe, maybe not.**

**Kanra: You'll just have to see for yourself.**

**Kanra: And don't forget, this way you'll be able to keep an eye on the Yellow Scarves.**

**Kanra: Which means Kida-kun as well~**

* * *

Mikado thought over this information. It was true that, even though he was practically suffering from the neglect of his boyfriend, even though the Dollars were at war with the Yellow scarves, it was all starting to become the everyday life. Nothing changing, nothing new. Not to mention he needed to keep an eye on the Yellow Scarves, if he wanted to save the Dollars. The Dollars were everything to him, they were _his. _He won't let them be destroyed by some stupid gang like the Yellow Scarves.

_I'll never let them be defeated by something so pathetic. They are mine. And if there is someone trying to take that away from me, they will have to burn._

* * *

**Tarou Tanaka: You will have to clarify a few things.**

**Kanra: Okay! Ask away~**

**Tarou Tanaka: You cannot give my info to anyone after this day. Which means if you already have given it away, not to anyone else.**

**Kanra: Really, Tarou-kun~ You have that little faith in me?**

**Tarou Tanaka: Yes. Exactly so.**

**Tarou Tanaka: Next, you can't hurt any of my friends with your stupid tricks.**

**Kanra: Aww….**

**Kanra: Can I still toy with Shizu-chan?**

**Tarou Tanaka: I could care less. Just keep me out of it.**

**Kanra: YAY~**

**Tarou Tanaka: Third, this is between you and me.**

**Tarou Tanaka: I don't care for what reason, you can't tell.**

**Kanra: Understood ^-^**

**Tarou Tanaka: I'm serious.**

**Kanra: I'm serious too.**

**Tarou Tanaka: Last thing.**

**Tarou Tanaka: Back at the comment about hurting my friends. If you do decide to hurt my friends, then DO NOT hurt Kida. I don't care what the reason is. Out of all my friends, he can't be touched.**

* * *

Izaya frowned over the other side of the chat. Mikado was truly confusing. You think he will step with his right, but then he'll step with his left. He wished he could understand what kept Mikado so loyal to Kida. At his place, it seemed like the emperor had finally broken down, but it only seemed to make him stronger. It was not going by Izaya's plan. And that's what made this so fun for him.

_I wonder how this will end, Tarou-kun… it seems that you won't be too easy to break. But that's okay, I like playing games. Let's see who'll win._

* * *

**Kanra: Alright. So, what's your answer?**

**Tarou Tanaka: Yes, I will be your assistant.**

* * *

_**The Next Day **_

Kida walked down the street with his head hung low. The conversation he had with Izaya was still going through his head. He had almost forgotten to visit Mikado and Anri, but it seemed like Mikado had already began leaving.

"Yo, Mikado!" He called, running up to the teen with Anri. He looked a little spaced out and distant. "What's up? You seem down…" Kida was doing all he could not to punch his boyfriend in the face. This was the lie he had been keeping from him. Being the leader of the Dollars, hanging with Izaya, going behind his back... But he wouldn't go off at him, because that was the exact same thing he was doing to him.

"It's Takiguchi." Mikado replied bluntly, with a sad face. Kida frowned. Takiguchi was, even though it wasn't obvious, a good friend of Mikado. When Kida was absent or sick, Takiguchi was the guy he hung out with in his place. "He got jumped by the Yellow Scarves last night. I'm going to the hospital." With that said, Mikado walked off with a gloomy feel to him. Kida felt something pull at his heart, seeing him so sad. He wanted to relieve that pain, but he knew he couldn't. He was the reason for his pain after all_**.**_

* * *

_**Yellow Scarves Hideout**_

"So, I guess I didn't make myself clear." Kida muttered in the gang hideaway. One of the men in front of him stepped up to explain, but was met with a punch to the face. This sent him back and dropped him down some steps. Every watched in awe, turning towards their leader. "Now do you guys get it?"

"What the hell is your problem?!" Someone yelled at Kida. "It's as plain as day that the Slasher is in with the Dollars, and yet you stand by and do absolutely nothing!" The blonde looked up from his phone he was searching through and shot a cold stare at his gang. His hazel eyes that were usually so warm and cheerful were as freezing as ice. It sent shivers up the gang's spine.

"I said before; no attacking unless you get actual proof on who actually did it…" He trailed off when his eyes caught a glimpse of a girl peeking through the cracks of the large hideaway doors. As soon as he made eye contact with a pair of glasses, the figure disappeared. Suddenly, one of the men came rushing into the room. When approaching Kida, he got down on one knee and gave a small bow.

"Chief!" He exclaimed. "We just caught a girl who was spying on the group!"

* * *

_Why is Masaomi-kun….? _Anri thought frantically as she scrambled away from the group. She ran behind the building and squeezed her way through a small gap in the frame. She sat down and hugged her knees, listening as many of the Yellow Scarves searched for her. She heard Kida talking and commanding the others where to search. Finally, she saw his feet approach her. She pulled her knees closer, as if trying to make herself seem less noticeable. Just before Kida could see her, he was called elsewhere. Anri let out a long sigh of relief, then whipping out her phone. She texted Celty quickly.

Soon enough, the black rider came barreling across the streets, before using her bike to scale the wall of the hideout. Kida and the Scarves watch in amazement. Celty came across Anri and held out her hand to her. She hopped on the dark bike, and a hazy fog smoked around her head. The fog formed into a helmet that covered her entire face.

"Thank you so much, Celty-san!" She thanked, before the rider scaled the wall once more, showing herself infront of the Yellow scarves. Kida eyed the black rider and smirked.

"Well, now. It seems that the black rider is a woman! Or are you just a man with a bit too many curves? If you are a girl, I would be glad to make you my woman! A lady is as only as fine as her clothing~" He teased, winking at the rider. Celty felt a wave of confusion hit her. Wasn't this Masaomi Kida, the partner of Mikado Ryuugamine and the friend of Anri? Anri clutched onto Celty even harder, burying her face within the suit. Kida looked over curiously at the girl. Celt suddenly understood.

_I get it. She doesn't want him to see her. I don't know what's going on, but I get it Anri. _The black rider thought,before the bike was transformed into a dark horse that braid so loudly, Kida had to cover his ears. The horse began to gallop away at high speed, when one of the thugs grabbed a crow bar.

"HEY! NO ONE MESSES WITH THE YELLOW SCARVES!" He screeched, throwing the metal at them.

"No, don't!-" Kida exclaimed, but was halted when a long sword sliced the metal in half. Bright red eyes leered at the gang, and a sharp Katana was shown brightly under the moon light. Without a minute to spare, the horse continued its journey away, leaving Kida and the Yellow Scarves in shock.

* * *

_**Hospital**_

"Hey man, thanks for the visit." Takiguchi smiled at Mikado, who was sitting beside him in the hospital room. The brunette had a broken arm, and a swollen, darkened face. Mikado nodded slightly.

"Well, it's only right." He answered. After an awkward silence, one of them spoke.

"Hey, man. You didn't tell anyone I was in the Dollars, right?" The crippled boy asked. Mikado blinked before shaking his head. "Good. Then I wonder if it was Kida who did it…"

"No way, Kida wouldn't rat you out like that. Maybe the Yellow Scarves are just that sneaky." Mikado replied softly, looking down at the ground. Was Kida responsible for the attack his friend?

"Maybe…" Takiguchi mumbled to himself, playing with his phone. Finally he looked up. "Hey, are you sure you're not in the Dollars-"  
"I'M NOT!" Mikado screamed, before realizing how loud he was. His chair had fallen down the moment he stood up, and a fellow nurse peaked into the room. Takiguchi gave Mikado a long look before smiling sweetly. He awkwardly sat back down, avoiding the gaze of his friend. Somewhere outside the hospital room stood an informant, hanging onto a sturdy fence. A smirk was painted on his face and his eyes screamed mischief.

"Oh, Tarou-kun~" Izaya laughed from afar. "You are always so unpredictable~"

Mikado suddenly shivered in front of his friend.

"What's up with you? It's not cold in here at all." Takiguchi pondered to himself, but Mikado just waved him off. Another chill ran up his spine, and he snuck a glance out the window of the room. He was watching. He was there.


	9. Phase 1

**How lucky I am**

* * *

_**Wow guys, thanks for the reviews! This'll be a shorter chapter than the last. I'll introduce a new character in the story! *~*Thanks for sticking with the story guys, and there is more to come! Ciao Ciao!**_

* * *

**Ch. 9- phase 1**

* * *

As Mikado started his sophomore year, he had already began conducting business with Izaya. Namie completely rejected the idea of having Mikado work with them, but Izaya made sure to use enough blackmail to shut her up. Since then, he's been constantly in and out of Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, and Shibuya, the three main subparts of Tokyo. It wasn't really noticed by anyone, since he usually stayed indoors. The otaku gang thought that Mikado was just hanging out with Kida, Kida didn't notice much of a difference, and even Simon didn't have much of a clue on what Mikado was doing. But there was one person who noticed the teen's errands.

"Hey, Simon…" Shizuo asked while smoking a cigarette. The Russian looked over curiously.

"What is it? You want sushi, now?" He asked with a thick Russian accent. Shizuo shook his head.

"Nah, but that kid, Mizako or whatever, has been acting sketchy lately. He's been leaving to Shinjuku a lot." The bartender suddenly growled, thinking of a certain informant broker. Simon looked him over before smiling.

"Calm down, Shizuo. It misunderstanding. He probably just visiting relatives." He replied contently, still handing out papers to walking bystanders. Shizuo shot a glare at him.

"Does his relatives consist of Izaya?!" He snapped, smashing his smoke in his hand. "I'm telling you, something weird is going on with him!" Shizuo suddenly let out a rough sigh before slouching his shoulders. He didn't like the thought that a kid was working for his worst enemy, and even worse if Izaya was manipulating the kid to do his dirty work. But one good thing did come out of this, since Mikado had been acting weird, Izaya hasn't set a foot in Ikebukuro. It's actually been quite peaceful around the city… well, if you don't count the gang wars.

"Shizuo, fighting always bad." Simon reminded him, when he saw the bartender walk towards the way to Shinjuku. The blonde waved him off and continued. He didn't want to hurt Mikado, really. He just wanted to see what was up. Kids from Raira academy should be at home studying, socializing, dating, all that weird crap. Not sniffing around the main cities of Tokyo.

When Shizuo reached Shinjuku, he caught a glimpse of a small group of people. Mikado didn't seem to be there, but it was a group of three tall men talking to two small kids. The three men were in dark suits, and the boys were dressed casually, but they had two dark blue shark masks over their heads. It was quite comical to see two 'sharks' talking to three businessmen. That is until the men were suddenly shoved by the kids into a smooth vehicle. The car drove off quickly. It was done in an instant. No bystander seemed to notice, except for Shizuo.

One of the sharks looked Shizuo's way, and began walking towards him. He was shorter than his twin. The bartender cracked his knuckles and growled, seeing that he had to fight. But then the taller twin held the other back, shaking its head at him. Shizuo was starting to get pissed off at them, and grabbed a nearby street sign, ripping it off the ground, and started towards them. Suddenly, a tiny figure wisped through his eyes and sliced the sign in half. He gritted his teeth and turned around, completely forgetting the shark twins. And there he was. Izaya Orihara.

"I-za-ya-kun…" Shizuo sung so mockingly. The informant was wearing a long black coat that reached his feet, and he had a smirk plastered on his face.

"Well, hello Shizu-chan! What brings you to Shinjuku, I wonder?" He teased playfully, but there was another feeling behind those words. Disgust.

"Just trying to figure out your scheme, you flea!" Izaya rolled his eyes and played with his flick knife.

"Oh, Shizu-chan… you always were the blaming type. But that's fine, I guess it just makes things more interesting~ However, let me tell you something; you are the one who came parading into my city, not the other way around." Izaya put one hand on his heart, and one over his head. "Shizu-chan isn't going to murder me in my own home is he? That would be too cruel!" Shizuo growled.

"Don't test me, flea…" He hissed. Izaya raised a brow, before grinning,

"Weren't you talking to those boys before I came?" Izaya reminded. Shizuo immediately turned around and realized they had vanished. When he looked back at the broker, he had also disappeared before his eyes. He sucked in a deep breath before letting out an ear numbing scream.

"IIIZAAAAAAAYYYAAAAAAA!"

The two twins had scurried off until they were out of sight from the bartender. They panted slightly, before one of them stood up straight.

"Are you crazy?! Picking a fight with Shizuo Heiwajima!?" He exclaimed worriedly. The other hung his head low and sighed.

"Sorry, Mikado-sama…"

"We're lucky Orihara-san was there, or else we would have really gotten in trouble…" He said while slipping of the cloth. His hair had grown slightly, as he was now able to part his hair to his liking. It was parted on the left side of his head, and his bangs were half-way to his eyebrows. "Aoba, I thought you covered my tracks?"

The twin removed the mask and showed a dark haired boy, shorter than Mikado, with bangs to his eyes. He had bright blue eyes, and a slim figure. He shifted awkwardly before muttering, "I didn't think anyone would follow this time…" Mikado sighed in frustration before running a hand through his hair.

"Geez, Aoba…" He groaned. His ears suddenly picked up some quick footsteps, but he realized who they belonged to. A pair of arms wrapped around his neck and he was pulled into a tight embrace.

"Tarou-kuuun~" Izaya whined as he held him. Mikado blushed slightly, trying to pry the arms from him. "Why did you leave me when it was starting to get interesting?"

"Because I don't want to get caught in any mess that has to do with Shizuo." The teen replied bluntly. Aoba rolled his eyes at the two before turning towards the informant broker. "Okay, we got the kidnappers. Who were they exactly?"

Izaya dropped his arms and stepped in front of him. "Just a few interesting humans I want to look at. Nothing more." Aoba glared at him.

"How about you give us meaningful jobs instead of snatching up these meaningless people?!" He snapped. Mikado flinched slightly and stepped back, but Izaya held onto his shoulders.

"They are not meaningless, Aoba-kun! They are my humans, after all~" Aoba just shook his head and walked off. Mikado turned around and faced Izaya.

"You two get along well." Mikado stated bluntly. Izaya patted his head and handed him some money. The leader sweated at the amount. "U-um… do you want me to split it with Aoba or…?"

"No way, Tarou-kun! This is all for you." Izaya laughed gleefully. Mikado looked down shyly and nodded.

"Thank you, Orihara-san…" He mumbled, trying to ignore the evil smirk the other was giving him. He suddenly looked up. "Are you… giving me this money because of my new apartment…?" He trailed off. The words hung in the air for a minute before Izaya replied.

"Now why would you think th-"

"Give me an answer, or I'm not taking your money." Mikado interrupted coldly while shoving the money back to him.

"Ooh, scary Mikado is scary! But, joking aside, you are half right and half wrong. I heard that you were getting a new apartment somewhere in Shibuya, and when I did some research I saw that it was quite expensive. Are you planning to sell your old apartment to pay for your new one? That might help, but with the bills and the taxes, that will quickly go down the drain. Do you have a real job?"

Mikado thought for a minute before shaking his head slightly. "I've been getting applications, and no responses yet. And I still don't know if I'm ready for Shibuya…"

"What? Why not!? If you want it then go for it, I insist!" Izaya exclaimed, shoving his hands in his pockets. This would be perfect for the informant. The new apartment would get Mikado away from Kida and Shizuo, and would make his job with him so much easier with them out of the way.

"I don't know… I told Kida about it, but he shot it down immediately…" He answered sadly. Izaya frowned, trying to read the story from the boy, but drawing blanks. Mikado suddenly perked up. "But let's not talk about that right now!"

Izaya opened his mouth to retaliate, when Mikado interrupted again. "H-hey, where'd Aoba go? Aoba! Aoba!" He called out, running off. As his voice faded, Izaya felt himself tense up even more.

**Monday**

Kida walked through the halls of the school like a ghost. There was no pep in his step, no flirtation, no cheery behavior. Just going through the motions of the day. During lunch, he would check up on the Yellow Scarves, and see what they were doing. When the school day ended, he would check on Saki. Then he'd wake up and repeat.

Mikado noticed this and started to worry. So after school that day, he ran up to Kida and decided to join him. "So how's it been?" He asked nervously. Kida barely looked at him.

"Fine."

"…We've got a ton of homework right?"

"Yup."

"…We haven't talked in a while…" Kida just grunted as a reply. "…You know, Takiguchi was talking to me the other day. He was talking about how he got pictures of Anri in really inapropriate outfits!"

"Good for him."

Mikado frowned. He thought that would have caught him, and he would've said something like 'let me see my boobyliscious Anri-chan!'. Apparently not. "I also saw the black rider the other day…"

"Uh-huh."

"Shizuo threw a mailbox at me yesterday…"

"Really, was it fun?" _He's not even paying attention anymore! I'm tired of being neglected like this!_

"Kida, I hung out with Izaya Orihara the entire weekend." He stated bluntly. Kida just shrugged and walked past him. Mikado's heart sank, and he ran up to him. "Why don't you listen to me anymore?" kida didn't reply. "Why don't you talk to me anymore?" No reply. Mikado stepped in front of Kida and pushed him lightly. Kida snapped his head up and glared at him.

"What?!" He growled. Mikado's eyes narrowed at him, and Kida felt himself be overpowered by the darkness of the stare.

"If you hate me, break up with me already."

"I don't hate you, what gave y-"

"Well, you don't love me."

"Of course I love you!" Kida exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "Why would I have stayed with you so long if I didn't love you?!"

"Masaomi, I just-"

"You know what? You've been like this since day one! Always being so paranoid, never trusting me, and lying to me. You act like I did anything to hurt you! I did nothing but care about you." Mikado's dark glare faded and was replaced with a solemn one. "Why do you always have to weigh me down Mikado? I thought that bringing you to Ikebukuro would make us both happy, but you're the only happy one here. You're living like every day's the best day ever! Meanwhile I have loads of problems, and most of them are caused by YOU."

Mikado's blue eyes looked up sadly at Kida. "And don't give me those eyes. I used to trust those eyes… now they belong to the damn leader of the Dollars!"

Mikado sighed, looking at the ground. He could sense that Izaya was watching this somewhere nearby. "Look, Masaomi…"

"What are you gonna say? What are you gonna do?" Kida pushed on, stepping towards him. Mikado stepped back slightly. He felt his hair stand up. "Are you going to tell me that I'm wrong? That _I _was the one causing you misery? That you were justified in creating a gang, and never telling me?!" He snapped, pushing Mikado roughly up against the wall. Mikado felt himself change, but he held it down for Kida's sake.

"Masaomi, calm down-"

"NO. Why should I? You're the one that came at me. You just couldn't live a peaceful life here, right?"

Mikado shot a cold glare at him. "I wasn't trying to hurt you-"

"But you did!" He yelled angrily. Mikado flinched. "You've done nothing but made me suffer the last couple months!"

"I didn't try to! Stop blaming me for all this…"

"And in the midst of all this… you want to move to a different city…" Kida mumbled to himself, then looked up to the other. "Tell me something, when have I ever caused misery for you? I've always been there for you! Sure, I missed a few calls, but I was there in the end." Mikado opened his mouth to speak, but closed it immediately. He saw Izaya standing not too far from where they were, watching him closely. From Mikado's view he looked… like a mixture between provoked and interested. It was weird, but it felt like Izaya was pleased yet disgusted to see this.

_Come on, my little emperor. Put on a show for me… _Izaya thought with a smirk.

"Exactly. You can't think of anything." Kida spat coldly. There was a small pause, and Kida rested his hand on the wall next to Mikado's head. "So, are we over or not? Because I can't tell anymore. Is this a game to you? It's called, 'let's see how long I can lead Kida on before he goes insane'. If that's the case, I guess you're the winner."

Mikado hung his head, clenching his fists. He bit his lip hard, drawing some blood. "Masaomi…"

"What? Are you going to break it off with me? Because I want to!" Mikado paled. "Let's break up!" Kida didn't know why he was so angry. It was a combination between the Dollars, the slasher, and Mikado himself.

"W-what…?" Mikado breathed, gazing at his now 'Ex'. Kida crossed his arms and stood tall.

"I said, I'm breaking up with you, Mikado." When Kida said that, he felt like someone stabbed him in the heart. Why did he feel that way? He was the one breaking up with him, so why does it feel so bad? "I'm sorry, I just think it's for the best…"The brunette stared at the ground, before letting out a shaky sigh. His eyes closed and he hung his head. He nodded his head sadly, showing that he understood. However, Kida wasn't done yet. "But let me just say, I _love _how you lied about being innocent, when you are the leader of the _fucking Dollars_. I _love_ how you completely ignore me and decide to have contact with Izaya Orihara! IZAYA ORIHARA." Mikado just listened silently, not even looking into Kida's eyes. Suddenly, he felt a pair of hands grab his shoulders and shake him roughly. "You hear me now?! I'm tired of you leading me on-"

The harsh sound of the punch could be heard for miles. Kida fell back, his cheek swelling up. Everything changed in the eyes of Kida. He didn't see the sweet, happy Mikado he thought he knew. He saw a lonely, sad, tired Mikado. He didn't realize how tired he looked until just now, and he never looked more sad and lonely than right now.

Mikado panted roughly, feeling himself fall into darkness. He walked over and stood over Kida, with a blank expression on his face. Kida felt like he had never seen this side of him before.

"I don't care anymore." He muttered darkly. The words echoed in Kida's head. "I'm done with this. With _you_. With the _Yellow Scarves_. With _Saki_." Kida's eyes widened. "I'm done with it all." With that said, he kicked Kida harshly in the chest, and walked off. It was in slow motion for Kida. He hadn't expected that from Mikado, nor did he expect to get such a cold and dark stare from the boy.

He slowly stood up and held his cheek, a bruise began to form, then began to walk away silently, thinking about what he just went through. Meanwhile, Izaya began clapping loudly, and busted out laughing. Finally, he gave a long sigh of relief before clapping to a stop.

"Time for phase two."


	10. Phase two: part 1- recalculation

**How Lucky I Am**

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_**Haha, short chapter again! This is part 1 of 'phase two'. I wonder what'll happen...*trollface*... get it? Because I'LL know what happens, and you don't? Haha, haha, haaa...**_

_**Just read the chapter. Ciao ciao.**_

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**Ch. 10- Phase two: part 1- recalculation**

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Izaya skipped off happily towards the leader's house. He kept giggling psychotically to himself, scaring some walking bystanders. All the while, he kept singing 'Tarou has been awaken, Tarou has been awaken!' with an evil grin on his face. He strolled up to the apartment while looking around to see if Mikado was around. Strangely, he wasn't. Pushing that aside, he picked the lock to his door and stepped in. A gush of cool air hit him, and he shivered.

"Why is it so cold in here?" He mused to himself, putting back on his jacket he had tied around his waist. The whole room was empty and clean. There wasn't much in there to begin with, but there wasn't a speck of dirt anywhere. The kitchen was spotless and the dishes were put neatly away, and the main room was empty except for his computer set and futon. "Hmm, I didn't know that Tarou-kun was so tidy. This seems strange…"

He walked around some more, but there wasn't a lot to see. Finally, he reached the bathroom. As the rest of the home, it was neat and clean. Oddly, neat and clean.

"Okay, something's going on around here…" He opened the cabinets. Nothing. He opened the shower curtain. Nothing. "Hmmm…." He stepped out and went to the main room. There was his computer, and his futon. He sat down in front of his computer and tried to log in. Locked. You could barely get into the starting screen without some kind of code.

"Now that's no fun~" He whined, leaning back. His eyes fell on his futon. He crawled towards it and lifted the pillow. "Bingo!" He exclaimed when he saw a small box. When he observed the box he lifted a brow. It was a foundation for skin.

_I wonder why he would have makeup. Never mind that. Why is he hiding it? _Izaya thought. He looked around and tried to piece together what was going on with the emperor. He then heard footsteps coming from outside, so he decided to put back the box and sit back.

Mikado stepped in, wearing a cold expression on his face. It didn't change when he saw the informant sitting in his apartment with a cheesy grin on his face.

"What are you doing here, Orihara-san?" He asked bluntly, setting down his bag. Izaya stood up and moved to hug him, but he was rejected.

"Hmmm~ Mikado Ryuugamine is saying no to me? The very Izaya Orihara, the famous info broker who knows all of his secrets? My, something must have happened to cause this. I wonder what…" He teased playfully, baring his teeth. Mikado just shook his head and pushed past him, heading over to his computer.

"You know exactly what happened." He growled, quickly typing in the password to his computer, then logging into the website. Izaya came over and draped over Mikado, resting his chin on his head. The teen glared at the broker, and tried to shrug him off. Seeing as it was useless, he began typing on the webpage. Izaya snuck a peak at the screen.

"Hmm? You're disbanding the Dollars?" He asked, feeling bored with the circumstances. "How original." He mumbled. Mikado grunted in reply, before sending the message. He suddenly got rapid messages of people protesting to this, and how mad everyone was getting.

"The Dollars weren't anything in the beginning…" He started, grabbing Izaya's attention. "They were just nothing. Random people. Everyone else had a color, but we didn't. What's changed now? We are still invisible, they still don't know their leader, and they are still unknown. Nothing's changed." With that, he turned off the monitor, and stood up, nearly knocking over Izaya.

"So, let me get this straight…" Izaya said, crossing his arms. "Back at my place, you said that the only way to truly escape the mundane is to become the mundane itself, and have the world change around you. However, it seems more like your trying to keep the world from changing, no?"

"Everything needs to be evolving in order for the world to stop changing. If I were to stop something, the world would try to readjust itself so that it could in sync with that something. That's how I escape it, anyway." He explained. "Now, once again, why are you here?" Izaya put a hand on his chin, thinking over the information. Finally he looked up.

"Oh, that? Well, I just happened to be in the neig-"

"Give me the truth." Mikado interrupted. Izaya looked him over for a minute before snickering.

"How do you always manage to catch me when I'm lying?"

"You're more transparent than you appear." He replied. Mikado headed to the kitchen and went into the pantry.

"Well, can't I visit my dearest acquaintance of mine?" Izaya cooed.

"Not unless you have a good reason." Mikado growled in reply. He let out a sigh, realizing he didn't have much food. Izaya smirked, thinking that it was time to pull his plan together. Just as he was about to speak, Mikado beat him to it. "Oh, I have something important to ask of you."

Izaya listened curiously as he continued. "Before I ask of this, I have to know if you can keep a secret."

"Hoh~?" Izaya breathed. "Mikado Ryuugamine is asking an informant broker to keep a secret? That doesn't seems smart."

Mikado's face went serious. "I'm serious. Can I trust you? Aren't I your apprentice or whatever?" Izaya opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off. "And don't forget that I have some dirt on you too."

_That being said, he also has a lot of even more dangerous info on us as well._

_That is true…._

"Ooh, Tarou-kun is threatening me!" The informat chuckled before stopping. "I can assure to you that you can trust me. I might be devious but I'm not evil!"

_Yeah, whatever Izaya-san._

Mikado nodded. "Alright. So, that apartment in Shibuya, I decided to take it."

There was a pause.

"That's it? Aw, Tarou-kun, you got me all worked up-"

"I don't want anyone to know." Izaya stopped and listened. "I will be leaving soon, and I don't want anyone knowing where I am, not even Anri or…" Another pause. "Kida. I will attend school there, and I won't be back for a while."

Izaya thought for a moment before snickering. "Well, by how you worded it, it sounded like you'd be returning."

"Well, after I go through high school, and maybe college, depending on how long it'll take to get my degree, I'll come back."

Izaya spoke, "And might I ask why you've decided on this. Just two days ago you were against the idea because your boyfriend—oops! I mean EX—told you know." Mikado stiffened a bit, before calming down.

"My name's gotten around that I'm the leader of the Dollars. _I wonder who ran their mouth." _He hissed through clenched teeth, glaring at the man in front of him. The broker rose his hands up in defense.

"Now, now, no need to be pointing fingers-"

"I know you told Kida." Mikado walked up to Izaya, giving him a fierce gaze. Izaya was eating all of this up. He had no idea how entertaining this boy could be. "As I said, you're more transparent then you think. But in a way, I have to thank you." The smirk faded from Izaya's face. "I probably would never have told Kida about my attachment to the Dollars, and he would never confess to being a part of the Yellow Scarves. It's just how it is. We would've fallen out one way or another. But now that you've told him, my plan will fall into action, and if I my calculations are correct, and they usually are, then this will all work in my favor."

Izaya pressed his lips together and looked down at the teen, who wasn't looking away either. "I don't know what plan you were making," Mikado continued. "But I'll make sure it's foiled. Starting off with stopping you from doing to the Dollars what you did to the Yellow Scarves long ago. Then going into stopping you from trying to break me, just like you did Kida. I'm not like him. And I'm _not going to end up like him, no matter how hard you try." _The last part was said with malice and frustration. Mikado stepped even closer to Izaya, to where their chests nearly touched. His eye's never strayed from the red ones. Izaya leered down with content and slight anger. He didn't think that Mikado would have seen through his plan so easily. And this whole moving ordeal, and disbanding the Dollars, was meddling with his plans harshly. Which made Izaya wonder. What was Mikado's plan? Dangerous red eyes were locked on the pure blue ones in front of him, trying to find any hint of fear or hesitation in the boy. Perhaps he was lying. A bluff. When people lie, their bodies show it. Whether it's their heartbeat, body movements, or vocal problems, it always shows. This was not a lie. And Mikado knew it. Izaya had wanted to start a war, _a game perhaps, _with the leader. Sure, the teen never agreed, but all along Izaya had been dancing along, having the upper hand in the graceful partnership. Right now, Mikado owned the dance floor, and was leading Izaya into the next move. He was starting a war with the informant broker. This brought an eerie grin to Izaya's face, and pure disgust to Mikado's.

"My, my, Tarou-kun… you sure have become a handful…" Izaya started after a moment of silence. "You are certainly different from Kida-kun. In many ways. And the Dollars are different from the Yellow Scarves. But I'll play your game." He walked around Mikado, circling him like a predator. "I want to see how long you'll try to go against… a god." Mikado scrunched his nose.

"I thought you were an atheist?"

"Haha, I am. I don't believe in god. There is no real proof he even exists. The past is something to ponder on, indeed. But being here," He gestured to all around him. "And looking down on _my _humans, well, I can't help but feel like a god. And you know what? It feels pretty good!" He gave a menacing laugh before slowly going silent. He shot a killing glare at Mikado. "Are you trying to take my humans away from me, Tarou-kun?"

Mikado suddenly busted out laughing, catching Izaya off guard. Moments of laughter later, Mikado looked up at him. "Ah, I couldn't steal your humans if I tried. See, humans are nice, but I'm only interested in three things. Wanna here them?" The other perked up. "Me, myself and I."

Izaya stared at him for a few minutes, just staring. They didn't speak after that. It was just dead silence. Finally, those red eyes shifted to his pillow, and then back to Mikado. He reached out and ran the cold ring on his finger around his neck area, making the other tremble and shudder immensely. Another smirk came across his face, and Mikado didn't like that. He tried to smack his hand away, but he felt a familiar object rest against his neck, making his stop dead in his tracks. He looked up into Izaya's eyes and saw something lurking behind those red orbs. Something Devious...

...Recalculation.


End file.
